Beloved ER nurse Anne Sydney retires after 38 years at ALMH

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[September 01, 2015]  LINCOLN - When accidents happen, or illness strikes, we depend on emergency medicine to save our lives. The skill and expertise of doctors and nurses make the difference between life and death, but it is the compassion and moral support of Emergency Room nurses that ultimately defines our experience and aids our recovery.

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building only a few years ago, but what Anne misses even more is the pen-and-paper recordkeeping that has only recently been replaced by integrated digital systems.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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