LISA TERWILLIGER
The Heart of a Nurse
story by ERIN WALLACE photos by PAUL NURNBERG
As a young child, Lisa Terwilliger was always drawn to helping those around her. She loved helping her older family members with their walkers, which soon evolved with her going to the store for the senior citizens of her community or cleaning their house. She quickly became known, by all in her town, as the one with the heart for the elderly. You name it, and Lisa was assisting the seniors located in her circle in whatever way needed. Lisa’s grandmother at the time even described little Lisa as a “busybody drawn to the elderly and helping them.” Lisa brought this compassion with her to our darling little town, serving for over a quarter of a century in a nursing capacity to all ages.
Lisa is a Medical, Surgical, and Orthopedic Nurse at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. She’s originally from Mechanic Falls, Maine, and just like what you normally hear in this area, Lisa’s husband, Dan, was in the military on active duty, which brought them to Beaufort in 1983 (Dan is now retired as a sergeant major). They realized they wanted to start their family here, so they came back after being stationed in Arizona for a few years and have been here ever since. The couple has a daughter, Danielle, who also serves in the health field as a dental assistant at Port Royal Dentistry.
Lisa went to the Technical College of the Lowcountry for her ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing), then to the University of South Carolina Beaufort for her bachelor’s. On top of these degrees, she holds certifications of CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse) and CNML (Certified Nurse Manager and Leader). The brunt of her career has been at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Since Lisa knew they would be stationed on the island for three years, she had the time to begin the path of all things nursing, which was truly a perfect opportunity.
The Terwilligers intentionally left Arizona to come back to Beaufort for the quaintness, the community, and, most importantly, the family atmosphere. Fun Fact: Lisa is from a one-street town back in Maine, so this town is definitely not quite as small, but the quaintness is still just the same here in Beaufort.
When I asked Lisa what the best part of her job was, she said when her patients return home in good health. It is gratifying for her to watch her patients’ healing progression and know she’s had a small part in it. Conversely, her most challenging part is the patients who don’t get well. “A sad reality,” Lisa said, “you’ll have those patients with you forever.”
I asked Lisa if she had any tips for staying well and her advice was to “take care of your own health, enjoy your friends and family, have hobbies that make you happy, and enjoy life.” This advice is simple enough with the world we live in. Although Lisa’s unit is a Covid-free unit, this pandemic frankly has taken a toll on Lisa and all her coworkers. An example of this is that even though her patients are ready for discharge and might not have Covid, sometimes their family members do, leaving the patients with no one to take care of them at home and consequently prolonging their hospital stay. This has caused added stress for Lisa’s unit, which extends to the staff, patients, families, and visitors. Yet, Lisa still sees the silver lining, stating, “Families include us into the lowest of their lows, and we are very honored to be included in their healing process.”
Before Lisa was with her beloved patients at Beaufort Memorial, she worked at Parris Island for the Marine Corps Exchange in Comp Control with five other women, five days a week behind closed doors. In actuality, it was at this specific job where she discovered she was not built for this line of work as Lisa is a people person through and through. Since Lisa always had an interest in aiding those in need, she finally took the plunge to be a nurse after her office job. While in nursing school, Lisa was a unit secretary at the hospital on the ortho/surgical/medical floor to get her feet wet in the medical field. It is on this same unit where Lisa has worked for over 25 years! It is not often that one stays at a singular hospital, let alone on one set unit as long as Lisa has; she is truly as dedicated as they come. Lisa explained, “I wanted to stay at Beaufort Memorial Hospital because it is a community-based hospital that provides excellent care to the people in our community. The people at the hospital are my work family, and we take care of each other.”
Lisa’s floor has nurse interns who are nursing students that work alongside the staff, and Lisa does a lot of work with these students as she believes that they are our future. It is called “career coaching,” and Lisa’s intent is for these future nurses to get excited about what they are stepping into and experience the medical world as much as they can. That being said, Lisa is always looking for opportunities for the students, such as creating mock codes, having them come along to experience a doctor doing a procedure or a dressing change, the list goes on. Jayden Barnes, a former intern on her floor, couldn’t sing Lisa’s praises enough: “Mrs. Lisa was always very aware when nurse interns were working and would always pull us to watch different procedures. She always asked if there was anything we wanted to see or learn about, and if it was in her power, she would make it possible.”
Outside of Lisa’s regular responsibilities, she goes out of her way to ensure these junior team members get exposed to different courses of action to grow their careers and do whatever it takes to spark their passion in the medical world. Lisa has such a passion for these future students, and she proudly wears hope for all, especially for the generations after her.
Lisa explained how nursing is not a learned skill. The special men and women who choose this career have been blessed with a nurse’s unique heart, a heart they need to care for the hurting of this world. Lisa is a titan among these nurses, and she’s exactly where she needs to be today. The little girl who took care of the elderly is now the experienced woman giving back to the community and fighting for her patient’s healing journey — an inspiration to all. Beaufort is better for having her.
