"It takes some time to understand your calling in life and it is usually a long way from where you start out," states Tambra. She is trying to explain how she started her life in Springfield, Mass., the daughter of an Airforce officer and ended up chucking it all to devote her life to the well being of the people of eight villages in Njewa, Malawi, Africa.
Tambra’s mother was a native of Edmonton and her family moved there for a time after her father retired. When she looks back at her life the common thread is a heartsong to be a nurse and humanitarian. She was a single mom at a young age, put her own desires for an education aside until she made sure her son Shaun got his education.
She suffered watching her parents split and her dad and brother head back to the U.S. Her mom was an alcoholic and quit drinking, but not before it took a hard price on her health and she passed away of liver disease at the age of 50. Tambra developed her own challenges with pain and lost herself.
Her inspiration to change her life came in whispers. Ten years ago she began journaling and wrote about her desire to be a nurse and humanitarian. In 2000 she attended the Rapport Course in Las Vegas, Nevada which had a lot of emphasis on getting out of your comfort zone. By the end of the course Tambra stood up and said, "There is a whole world out there that needs help. My life is mediocre right now and I need to give back. I want my life to count for something."
In her words, "In finding the strength to change my life, I found the strength to do what I was supposed to do here." Her son Shaun graduated from University of Victoria and told Tambra is was time to go do something for herself. That was when she decided she wanted to South Africa and work with an AIDS organization.
