To the editor:
Every great organization has those few special individuals who over generations reflect their core mission and values, their foundation, and their very soul. To these individuals their work is not a job but rather a calling to a higher purpose.
Over my years at Cary Medical Center (too many to count), I have been privileged to come to know and work with these remarkable people. Recently our hospital bid a fond farewell to just such an individual, Mary Lou Nelson, who has been serving a calling to the hospital laboratory for nearly 56 years.
In the summer of 1960, home from the University of Maine for the summer, Mary Lou received an invitation from the hospital pathologist to help establish a laboratory at the Cary Memorial Hospital. Little did she know that the university would not be in her future, in fact she never would return to the college, she found her passion in the hospital lab. Working in the small lab facility at the ‘old hospital’ Mary Lou learned the science incrementally as one technology led to another and one blood test led to another, procedures changed, materials changed, but Mary Lou’s dedication and passion remained constant.
With the move to the new hospital in 1978, which in itself was quite an undertaking, Mary Lou would lead a bright new hospital laboratory, dozens of lab technologists, an ever increasing demand for testing, blood supply and results. She would become employee of the year and later one of three employees of the decade after 10 years in the “new hospital.”
Mary Lou helped to establish the hospital’s blood drive program which has become among the most successful in New England. She helped establish the Cary Medical Center health fair and the popular cholesterol screening program. She has trained dozens of phlebotomists over the years but few could match her “I didn’t feel a thing” response from patients after she had drawn them. In fact, patients would travel to Cary Medical Center just to have Mary Lou do the draw, she was remarkably steady and confident.
There were challenges along the way. She dealt with serious illness, cancer, and, thanks in part to her hospital family and community, her faith and her courage, she underwent one of the earliest bone marrow procedures in Boston and recovered so well that the hospital laboratory wasn’t enough of a challenge. She went, part-time, into the music business. Her love of music and of children with talent helped create a music center that offers a variety of music lessons and a recitals.
Mary Lou has given back to her community so much. She sings as part of the Caribou Choral Society soon to celebrate 40 years under the direction of another County icon, Dan Ladner. Mary Lou is very dedicated to her local church, is a member of the New Sweden Historical Society and is very much involved with the New Sweden Midsommar festivities, helping that community to hold close its rich and marvelous traditions.
Beyond all of this, Mary Lou has left a legacy, a permanent impact on the unique and wonderful culture that is Cary Medical Center. While it will be hard to think of Cary without her, we are so pleased that she will have more time to really smell the roses, enjoy more time with family and friends, and to catalogue more than five decades of hospital memorabilia that she has collected.
From all of us to whom you are so dear, God Speed Mary Lou, celebrate!
