The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

Sue Denison is a trailblazer in the world of nursing and community health. Sue recovered from a liver transplant in 1990, and within 10 years became one of the first authorised Nurse Practitioners in Australia. Nurse Practitioners are recognised as experts and clinical leaders in the nursing profession within the health industry. There are now over 50 Nurse Practitioners in NSW. Sue is employed by Hunter New England Health and is based in the village of Nundle. She is the only full-time health professional in the area, and is the first point of call for her community. She provides a broad range of day-to-day and acute health care services. The closest hospital is over 60 km away. Sue’s interest in community development has led to the establishment of initiatives such as the Nundle cinema, and, according to the Film and Television office, she demonstrated for the first time a connection between health and cinema. She established the Old Church boutique, which sells second-hand clothing sent to Nundle by a Sydney-based group Friends of Farming Families. Through the boutique, local women have raised thousands of dollars for the community, and they also provide financial assistance for local relief.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

I had an assured career path in Aged Care when my career was severely interrupted with the diagnosis of a life-threatening liver disease where liver transplantation was the only way that my life could be saved. I really thought my professional career had come to an abrupt end. After my liver transplant, I became well again and returned to work as a clinical nurse but with a drop in status. Over the next 10 years I worked my way back up to reach the pinnacle of the clinical tree. I had applied for another high-level nursing position when a colleague saw my application and encouraged me to pursue Nurse Practitioner registration. While gathering the evidence for my application I was able to reflect back over my practice and see what my contribution to nursing had been.

I currently provide services to about 1400 people, living in an area of over 1500 square kilometres, with support from other professional health services who visit on a regular weekly or monthly basis.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

It was a defining moment when my colleague Jane O’Connell and I were announced in Parliament as the first two Nurse Practitioners in Australia.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. My father was a General Practitioner whose practice was at home and my mother was a nurse, so caring for people was a natural part of my life and my understanding.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

I grew up in Penshurst, a suburb of Sydney, but was lucky to have been sent to school at Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) Croydon where I met a lot of country girls. At PLC I developed an understanding of my responsibility within a ‘community’ and I have always had an awareness of and a keen interest in the importance of participation and working together to alleviate health and social problems.

I work from a social model of health care with a focus on ‘wellness’. My community development activities are about addressing those broader health and social needs of the community. The cinema, for example, was instigated to provide activities for the younger people and reduce risk-taking behaviour, which is often associated with young people who have too much time on their hands.

My husband Bill supported me in this venture—he acts as the projectionist. The Health Service donated 16 mm projectors to support this project. An Arts Council was formed in Nundle to support this concept.

Who are your role models?

My father set a wonderful example in the way he cared, practised his profession and maintained strong ethical values. I also had a loving aunt who inspired me because of her family values, which reinforced in me the value of women in the family. I am continually delighted with the way my daughters Sally, Allison and Jill, and my stepdaughter Bronwen, live their lives as modern, caring women.

I admire women who generally stand up to be counted, especially nursing leaders such as Vivian Bullwinkle, who suffered extreme hardship yet continued within her profession for many years after the war. Vivian Bullwinkle volunteered to join the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941. During the evacuation of Singapore her rescue boat was sunk. Those who survived reached land only to be shot by the Japanese, including Vivian who passed into unconsciousness. On waking, she pretended to be dead as soldiers bayoneted those around her who were still alive. Some days later, she and a wounded British soldier, whose injuries she tended, surrendered and were taken to a prison camp. They survived extreme deprivation, near starvation, overcrowding, severe illness and extreme cruelty from their captors. She was awarded an Order of Australia and the Florence Nightingale Medal for distinguished service and bravery.

What does success mean to you?

Success is still being able to acknowledge the needs of others. I get up each day and I still have challenges for tomorrow. Even though I know I am working at an advanced level of practice, I still question myself. Success is to be able to acknowledge our ordinariness and work within the blessings that we’ve been given. I never forget that I am here because a 19-year-old boy and his family, through organ donation, gave me that chance by allowing me to continue living. April 2005 was the 15th anniversary of my transplant. I take this time to reflect that my success is nothing compared to his and his family’s gift to me.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

In 1988, at the age of 46, I developed a debilitating liver disease—primary biliary cirrhosis. Facing death while still having children to care for was devastating. I turned to the healing ministry at St Andrew’s Cathedral to find the strength to carry on. My faith in God has been a significant factor in my wellness, and I met my husband Bill through the healing ministry at St Andrew’s Cathedral. It was this faith that made me change my thinking and my language about my disease—rather than having a ‘terminal disease’ I thought of it as being ‘life threatening’ because there was hope. I had a fairly rapid post-transplant recovery and was back at work within six months of my operation.

I subsequently developed lymphoma in 1998 and I still had the feeling that if I just put one foot in front of the other I would get through this threat again to my life. Again, my faith encouraged me to keep going. I felt as though I was in a thick fog not being able to see anything behind or in front of me, but keep going I did, and I have been disease-free for five years.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

I hope I’ll still be alive! I have no plans for retirement and as long as I can maintain the quality of service in my work, and happiness in my relationships, I will continue to live and do what I do. Whatever I give back to life it is because someone gave me the ultimate gift.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

When I was a young girl I did a vocational guidance test and said I wanted to do nursing. I was advised to be a day nursery attendant as I had a learning problem. I think that what we have to do in life is just continue going on—don’t be put off by disadvantage, don’t be put off by setbacks however big they may seem… just keep moving forward. Believe in yourself and move forward and work towards achievements. It is also good to look back at what you have given in your sphere of influence. This may be as a wife/mother, in your occupation (whether that be paid or voluntary), or achieving an educational qualification. The important thing is not to give up the dream, because the dream will enhance life’s joy and encourage a belief in yourself.