Nevenka Topalušić (; 21 November 1954 – 22 October 2014) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

and

war veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

. Born in Gradec, where she attended elementary school, Topalušić was educated at the medical school in

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...

and graduated in

palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...

at the School of Medicine in Zagreb. At the dawn of the Croatian War for Independence, she worked as a nurse in a health centre in

Vrbovec Vrbovec () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia, lying to the northeast of the capital Zagreb. Geography The town of Vrbovec lies to the north-east of Zagreb, either along the A4 motorway and the D10 expressway or by the old Zagreb – D ...

, where she was also a member of the ambulance service. Before the outbreak of the war, she gave birth to two sons (Dubravko, Željko) and a daughter Ana. During the war she fought in the 51st battalion from Vrbovec. Together with her husband Branko and son Dubravko, she engaged in providing accommodation and medical treatment to the wounded soldiers and civilians, as well as enemy soldiers and member of the

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

forces. Topalušić participated in

Operation Storm }) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state Re ...

. She was heavily wounded during the Operation Una, due to which she spent the rest of her life in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

.Rašović, Renata
Hrvatska braniteljica Nevenka Topalušić preminula tijekom prosvjeda
''Večernji list'', 22 October 2014. Access date 28 April 2019. Although having 28 pieces of shrapnel and four bullets in her body, after the war she gave birth to her fourth child. She was awarded the Order of the Croatian Cross, Homeland's Gratitude Medal and Operation Oluja Medal. She died during the 2014–2016 Croatian war veterans protest in October 2014. The square where she participated in protests (in front of the

Ministry of Croatian Veterans Ministry of Croatian Veterans ( hr, Ministarstvo hrvatskih branitelja, MHB) is a ministry of the Croatian Government which is split into several directorates: *Directorate for Family **This directorate is further split up into departments for fa ...

) was named after her.Štefanac, Maja
Ovoren novouređeni Trg Nevenke Topalušić
''Zagrebački list'', 24 May 2017. Access date 28 April 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topalušić, Nevenka 1954 births 2014 deaths People from Zagreb County Croatian nurses Croatian soldiers