KAREN: I was thinking about other things you might have had to deal with as a health aide, like fires or boat accidents or suicides, things like that.

TRUDY: Like I said, that's how I started. When I was a health aide I started with the house burning. And the other health aide, that was when Florence Jackson was still a health aide and she took care of the one that was real bad and I took care of one that was not bad. So, that helped because I had somebody with me.

It's the weirdest feeling in your life, if you're by yourself. Especially at night, when you're by yourself. You feel all alone when somebody is so badly hurt and you're trying to help them.

The weirdest feeling is that there is nobody there to help you and there is nothing you could do, you could try but you don't know if it's the right thing. I felt like that a lot of times. But I pulled through.

I always think to myself I was the worst patient than anybody else. Even now they try to treat me like a patient 'cause I have that infection that went all the way to my knee. It's finally down to the point where it's about that big.

KAREN: Like a quarter.

TRUDY: It's closing up.

KAREN: But you're not a good patient?

TRUDY: And I'm not a good patient. My nurse is a male nurse, there're two male nurses here. I'm not a good patient.

KAREN: So, I know that in some communities in Alaska suicide has been a real problem and the health aides have had to deal with that, gunshots and things. Is that something that happened in Hoonah?

TRUDY: What?

KAREN: Suicides? You didn't have to deal with that?

TRUDY: I don't think. I don't think I've ever seen a suicide case. Ever.

KAREN: What about gunshots? Gunshot wounds.

TRUDY: Just the one boy that was playing with the gun, upstairs in his home and he shot his hip. He still walks around here. Walks with a big limp.