Winter 2023/2024 Issue - Magazine - Page 21
Laura Barslou – Life Goes by Too Quickly!
Blue Earth, MN
Although Laura Barslou’s grandmother passed away when she was six,
she inherited her grandmother’s passion for becoming a nurse. Her
grandmother, Dora Johnson, received her nursing degree from
Chamberland, South Dakota.
After graduating from North Kossuth High School in 1983, Laura enrolled
at Iowa Community College and received her RN (registered nurse)
degree. When she could finally begin her career, the surrounding area of
her hometown hospitals had a surplus of nurses. Hence, her first job was
at the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, in Oncology and Nephrology.
As much as she enjoyed her work, she did not enjoy the long-distance
relationship with her boyfriend, Wade. This brought her back to her
hometown of Swea City, IA and she began working at Estherville Hospital.
Wade opened a pizza restaurant, Premier Pizza, in Blue Earth. Laura was fortunate to get a job on April 7th, 1987, at St.
Luke’s Lutheran Care Center, Blue Earth. They married on September 13th, 1988, and were blessed with their son,
Dallas, in 1994 and daughter, Sam, in 1999. Her career included various roles as an RN at St. Luke’s, each teaching
Laura valuable life lessons. She is forever grateful for them.
Laura’s other grandmother, Olga Schwartz, would often take her to the Senior Center in Swea City. This is where Laura
learned to connect with the elderly from a young age. After spending several years in different fields at the University
of Missouri, Estherville Hospital, and United Hospital District Clinic, she has dedicated her career to geriatrics.
But on September 13th, 2013, Laura was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. In 2019 she needed a lumber spine
fusion requiring rods and screws in her lower back, making
