CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2019 - 17

17

17

G R A D U AT I O N

Wanderlust

I

"NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST"
- J.R.R. Tolkien
By Dana Brandorff

an Overton decided to become a nurse after
a decade of adventuring and one escapade
that brought him close to losing his foot.
An expert mountaineer, explorer, rock and
ice climber, Overton said, "Through climbing, everything makes sense in the world.
The chaotic environment slows down."

After graduating in 2007 from CSU with a degree
in Political Science, Overton decided to "do something else." That something else included working
for a heli-skiing operation in Alaska, hitchhiking
through Europe, and eventually culminated in an
international expedition to ascend Nanga Parbat in
Pakistan where Overton acted as a climbing medic.

That was the turning point for me. I felt broken
down and alone, and I didn't want others to feel that
way. That's when I decided to pursue health care."
- Ian Overton

At the time, Overton was EMT-trained, but "not really
prepared for what I encountered." From leprosy to those crippled by polio, dysentery,
and frostbite, "the experience was fairly outside my normal practice." Then, while
on the mountain, he developed high altitude cerebral edema as well as frostbite,
and had to quickly descend to get help.
Sick and dehydrated, he eventually made his way to Islamabad where he developed
Hepatitis A. Unable to leave his bed, parasites began feeding off necrotic tissue in
his arms and shoulders. Fortunately, he had amoxicillin and other antibiotics in his
med pack, which helped fight the infection. "That was the turning point for me. I
felt broken down and alone, and I didn't want others to feel that way. That's when
I decided to pursue health care."
When he returned to the US, he started thinking about his next adventure and found
that nursing beckoned. "I really felt a kinship to nursing because of the human
touch that nurses provide versus what a physician or PA does."
As Overton finished his BSN, he already had his next adventure mapped out as a
nurse with Swedish Hospital.
Ian Overton surveys the ice before his ascent.



CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2019

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CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2019 - Contents
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CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2019 - Cover4
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