Nurses Who Treated Boston Marathon Suspect Admitt Struggling With Obligations

In an exclusive interview with The Boston Globe, one of the nurses entrusted with treating surviving Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev admits that at times she struggled with fulfilling her obligation.

The 29-year-old trauma nurse told The Globe she was on-call at home at the time of the bombing, readying herself for a marathon viewing of “Friends,” when she was summoned to the hospital.

The woman explained that in the days before she had also been given the job of treating many of victims left mangled and injured by the bombing allegedly pulled off by Tsarnaev and his now deceased older brother, Tamerlan.

“You have to do it,” the woman told The Globe of a conversation she had with her husband only days before where the two of them discussed the possible occurrence of the reality she now faced. “You have to do it so we can get some answers.”

In all, The Globe interviewed seven nurses assigned to care for Tsarnaev, with one of them identified by her middle name of Marie adding, “I did it because I’m a nurse and I don’t get to pick and choose my patients.’’

Still, The Globe reported most readily admitted they drew an emotional line when caring for Tsarnaev that they normally don’t with other patients. One nurse, who usually talks to patients about current events to create a rapport, stuck to medical questions.

The Tsarnaev brothers are suspected of having planted the bombs near the finish line of the marathon that killed three people and injured 265 others as act of terrorism. Tamerlan Tsarnaev later died after a shoot-out with police.

During their shifts, the nurses monitored Tsarnaev’s breathing, heart rate, and neurological status every one to two hours. They had to checked his wounds for signs of infection, asked about his pain, and administered medications — all standard ICU care.

“You see a hurt 19-year-old and you can’t help but feel sorry for him,’’ said Marie, who like other nurses referred to him as a boy. Yet, she said, she “would not be upset if he got the death penalty. There is no way to reconcile the two different feelings.’’

 

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