Nurse on a Harley
After losing her own leg, Cat Hammes, RN, reaches out to veterans to help heal their wounds.
After losing her own leg, Cat Hammes, RN, reaches out to veterans to help heal their wounds.
By A. Trevor Sutton
Cat Hammes, RN, is not your average nurse. She rides a Harley. She has a tattoo depiction
of her late grandmother's face. She lost a leg in a motorcycle accident and now has a pink
carbon fiber prosthesis to match her pink bike.
How Hammes subsidized her tuition in nursing school speaks plenty to her character: "I
rebuilt carburetors and welded in a factory to pay off my nursing degree."
Still, it is not her tattoos, her welder's tan or her pink prosthesis that sets Hammes apart
from the usual nurse; it is how Hammes spends her free time that makes her unique-she
organizes and participates in motorcycle charity events at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
A Wisconsin native, Hammes just recently finished riding her motorcycle across the country
with a group of women raising funds and awareness for the healthcare needs of veterans.
The group she rode with is called The Diamond Posse. Organized by fellow Wisconsin
nurse Vicki Sanfelipo, the Diamond Posse is a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise
funds and awareness for the health needs of today's American veterans.
Along for the Ride
The Diamond Posse's most recent endeavor took them from San Antonio to Green Bay,
WI. During the day, the women stopped at various VA hospitals visiting with patients along
their route. At night, various Harley Davidson dealers hosted fundraising parties for the
women. The funds raised from the Diamond Posse ride went to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a private organization that provides for
the medical needs of veterans.
For Hammes, the ride was not just a chance to do some charity work-this ride was personal. She lost her right leg 4years ago. Along with
her leg, she has temporarily lost her ability to work as a nurse.
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A careless driver changed lanes without checking her mirrors. Hammes ended up with one
less leg, a punctured lung and brain damage. Collectively, these injuries have kept
Hammes from returning to work for the time being.
"I really want to go back to nursing. I have always had a drive to serve people and nursing
fulfilled that for me," she said.
Hammes has used the Diamond Posse ride to fill the void caused from her accident.
Visiting the VA hospitals allowed Hammes an opportunity to do what she loves mostcaring for patients. Except now, Hammes serves people in a different way; instead of
gauze and medication, she uses a prosthetic leg and a pink Harley. Though she is using
different tools, Hammes is still healing people's wounds.
Making Connections
At one of the Diamond Posse stops, a nurse had brought a Vietnam veteran outside to
check out the motorcycles. With his discharge papers, he also brought home a bullet
embedded in his right leg. He had been shot in the leg during the war; after 19 surgeries
and 4 decades, he finally asked his doctor to remove his leg. Sitting in his wheelchair-his wife and nurse by his side-he watched as
Hammes and the Diamond Posse women rode up.
For the first time since his final surgery, he smiled. At the sight of a little blonde woman with one leg riding a 700 pound motorcycle, he
leaned over to his wife and declared, "That's it! If she can ride that bike without a leg, I am going to walk again."
Besides helping fellow amputees through the arduous process of limb loss, Hammes' ride with the Diamond Posse helped spouses of
wounded veterans cope with the unknown. The wife of the recent amputee was in tears watching her husband interact with the
organization's women.
"Immediately, he locked eyes with Cat. I feel so good knowing that he has decided on his own to take this step. I cannot believe it. I am
so thankful for these ladies," she said through tears and a smile.
Many Thanks
The Diamond Posse women are not the only ones the veterans thank; many
nurses at VA hospitals understand what it is like to be appreciated by their
patients. For whatever reason, the veterans at VA hospitals appreciate those
who serve them in any capacity, be it doctors, nurses or the women of the
Diamond Posse. Kansas City VA hospital's nurse recruiter Kathy Koenig, RN,
draws from her vast experience to confirm the opinions of the Diamond Posse
women.
"I have been around for a long time. I have taken care of World War I vets. They
were pretty old when I was there and I was pretty young. I have taken care of
veterans who were at D-Day all the way to Operation Enduring Freedom. In
general, the veterans are an amazing group of people. I have had nurses say to
me, 'I have never been thanked so much in my life.'"
Like Koenig, Hammes was not expecting to be thanked so profusely by the veterans at the hospitals. Rather, she went on the Diamond
Posse ride to thank American veterans who have served their country. The hugs and tears she received from the patients at the VA
hospitals was an unexpected bonus.
"This whole trip has been amazing; it has been way more than I expected," Hammes noted.
Veterans know war is an ugly thing-lives are put on hold, bodies are permanently altered.
Following her accident, Hammes understands that feeling all too well. Knowing the cost, she simply wanted to say thank you to the
veterans that sacrificed so much. Instead, veterans were trying to thank the very unique nurse that rode up to visit them on a Harley. At
every VA hospital the Diamond Posse visited, both Hammes and the veterans called a truce. A tearful embrace was the olive branch that
they exchanged. Oddly, the hug said it all.
A. Trevor Sutton is a frequent contributor to ADVANCE.
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