health
February 9, 2026
A Minnesotan nurse saved my refugee family’s life. Four decades on, we watched the news together in horror
Alex Pretti’s death in Minneapolis reveals a painful contradiction – nurses are carers in times of crisis, often invisible, yet they carry our moral compass
TL;DR
- The author's parents were Cambodian refugees who survived the Khmer Rouge and were resettled in Australia.
- A nurse from Minneapolis, Sandra Evenson, provided critical help to the author's parents and themself, offering practical assistance and compassion.
- After 40 years, the author successfully located and reunited with Sandra Evenson.
- The reunion occurred as another Minnesotan nurse, Alex Pretti, lost his life serving migrants, highlighting a perceived contradiction in American humanitarianism.
- The article emphasizes the vital role of civil society and humanitarianism, contrasting it with current political trends that dehumanize migrants.
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