MARLA:  Were there any specific mentors or important teachers in your life or in the community -- in your community health aide work? 

ELSIE:  The workshops. 

MARLA:  The workshops? 

ELSIE:  Yeah.  The first basic training, I think it was really good instruction and understanding.  Like the EMTs and the doctors, we get a lot of help from doctors who we call, was on call. 

MARLA:  Where, in Tanana or in Fairbanks? 

ELSIE:  Fairbanks.  And he could ask to do that or do this. 

MARLA:  Is there anyone specific you can think of, any names of people that you sort of looked up to or --

ELSIE:  I -- I just look up to Dr. Springer.  That he was there to help. 

MARLA:  Where was he?

ELSIE:  At Fairbanks. 

MARLA:  And did you ever have to go out of Alaska for training? 

ELSIE:  No.  I went to Anchorage and Sitka, that's all. 

MARLA:  Yeah.  Far enough.

ELSIE:  No other places.  Yeah. 

MARLA:  How does being a health aide affect your life in the village? 

ELSIE:  I guess I'm there all the time and it is like I work with a kid one time.  And I always like to be alert for emergencies a lot.  Even though it wouldn't happen, but that's just the way I feel like since I've been there so long. 
And so it kind of -- it started affecting me like I kind of got sick and landed in the hospital.  Right while I was working.  And I know that's from my job.  And I didn't take care of myself.  And I didn't treat myself first.  You know, I learned, you know, I'm busy all the time and I didn't learn how to take care of myself first before all the emergencies then.  It took too much. 

MARLA:  You gave too much? 

ELSIE:  Gave too much.