Health workers recalled as inspirational
A string quartet played as friends, family, and colleagues filled the chapel where three color photos and floral arrangements of forsythia and yellow roses were displayed at the front.
Ushers wore yellow roses on their lapels to suggest that love and peace can find a way into the heart of Afghanistan, where healthcare advocates Cristin Gadue, Amy Lynn Niebling, and Carmen Urdaneta, were killed Feb. 3 when their plane crashed into snowy mountains in the war-torn country.
Gadue, Niebling, and Urdaneta were roses in Afghanistan, their colleagues said yesterday at a memorial service in Boston University's March Chapel.
''They were in the bloom of their lives," said Peg Hume, director of new business development at Management Sciences for Health, the Cambridge-based organization that employed the women.''These were three remarkable women. Committed, energetic, and passionate about making a difference in the world."
Management Sciences for Health is a private, nonprofit organization that works to create stable healthcare systems in developing countries. The three women were working in Afghanistan as communication officers, helping to rebuild access to basic health services in unserved areas. Officials said rough weather caused the crash, which killed 104 people. The three women were the only Americans on board. Their remains have not been recovered.
The memorial service focused on the inspiration the women provided to all of those they touched. The mood was somber, but there were light moments.
''As I watch life go by, I want to stop the world from turning to make everyone understand what incredible people have left us, " said Katie Sears in a speech read by Ann Buxbaum. Sears is a grant officer for the REACH program, which works with the Afghanistan Ministry of Health to deliver essential health services to rural women and their children.
Gadue, 26, grew up in Burlington, Vt., and was working in Kabul prior to her death. She joined Management Sciences for Health in 2000. She was remembered yesterday as a tenacious but kind-hearted co-worker.
Niebling, 29, grew up in Omaha. She began working in Management Sciences for Health's communication office in 2004. She was married in October to Andrew Meeks and moved to Somerville.
''She celebrated what's right in the world, and she had the strength to fix what is wrong with it," said Sharon Dickinson, manager of business information systems for the organization.
Urdaneta, 34, grew up in Topeka, Kan. She joined the organization in 1999 as an information officer. Yesterday, her brother said he understood that his younger sister touched the lives of many through her work.
''I began to realize that she's not just my sister, but a member of the global community," said Jose Urdaneta, a doctor in Phoenix. ''I was so proud of her."
Urdaneta recalled visiting his sister in South Africa while she worked with AIDS patients. He saw her interact with patients. He said she was strong and independent and deeply passionate about her work. When it came time for the siblings to part at the airport, she cried.
''That's what I remember now of my sister, the little girl I would try to protect sometimes," he said.
