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 This week, beloved Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital ER nurse
Anne Sydney retires after 38 years of exemplary service to our
community, leaving a legacy of professionalism and outstanding
patient care.
In the Emergency Department there is little time for introductions,
but for Lincoln residents who meet Anne in the course of an ER
visit, her presence was welcome and memorable.
Speaking at Anne’s retirement reception on Wednesday, the President
of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Dolan Dalpoas, referenced his
personal experiences as an ALMH ER patient many years ago, “I could
go on and on about all the things Anne has done for this hospital,
but I got to see it firsthand. I’ve been in the emergency department
with loved ones…and I always liked it when Anne came through the
curtains at that point and took care of my loved ones; I knew I was
in good hands. I knew from being in this community, everyone would
say, ‘Anne is great, Anne does a wonderful job, Anne goes out of her
way, Anne goes the extra mile,’ so whenever I came in with a loved
one, I would always try to see Anne.”
 Always one to set others at ease, Anne graciously played hostess at
her reception, warmly greeting coworkers and old friends and former
patients, some of which she had not seen in many years, but who
dropped in to recognize her decades of proud service to Lincoln-area
residents young and old.
Nearing the end of the reception, in a lull Sydney spoke to LDN
about how the hospital, and indeed the nursing profession have
changed since she started at ALMH in 1977. The hospital moved to a
new building only a few years ago, but what Anne misses even more is
the pen-and-paper recordkeeping that has only recently been replaced
by integrated digital systems. “I prefer writing with a pen and
paper,” Anne says, “but it’s the way of the world.”
Speaking her last tearful goodbye to her assembled supporters, Anne
expressed her gratitude to her coworkers past and present, and to
her family, including her husband, and two daughters who
unexpectedly arrived for the retirement festivities as a surprise
for their mother. “This hospital,” Anne said, “has been my second
home for a very long time.”
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Anne was not alone in her tears. As Mr. Dalpoas put it, “It’s really
hard to summarize 38 years of service into a few words, but if you
could have been with me one week ago today, when we were in the
emergency department, you would have seen the impact Anne has had
not only on that department but this hospital. There wasn’t a dry
eye in the entire department.”
When the vivacious and energetic retiree was asked what plans she
had for her retirement, she merely stated that she would be staying
in the local area and putting down roots, quite literally. “I’m a
major gardener,” Anne told LDN, “and I love being outdoors.”
Friends in the Emergency Department got Anne a beautiful blue wooden
bench for her garden, as a parting gift that was presented to the
beloved RN at the reception, which also featured numerous other
gifts, refreshments and a congratulatory cake.
ALMH President Dalpoas concluded his speech with unparalleled praise
for Anne Sydney’s abilities as a nurse, "She did it in a way that
was professional and compassionate and took the worry and anxiety
out of a very high anxiety emergency department visit. And it’s a
skill I wish she would pass on to others…it’s a unique talent that
not many people have, and she did it better than anybody I’ve ever
seen…”
[Ben McBroom]
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