Terry Foster, the 2001 recipient of the National Emergency Nurses Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, never started out to be a nurse.

        As a child, the Taylor Mill native wanted to be everything from an astronaut to a veterinarian.

Terry Foster (left), award-winning clinical nursing specialist at St. Elizabeth Hospitals, discusses use of a defibrillator with Donna Whitehead, emergency assistant/phlebotomist, at St. Elizabeth South. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        But at age 13, he became intrigued at the thought of a career in medicine after he volunteered at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, delivering mail, taking patients to physical therapy and making beds.

        Later, while working as a ward clerk, the Dixie Heights High School graduate briefly considered a career as a doctor. That changed when he did his hospital orientation and realized men could be nurses, too.

        “I noticed the nurses were with the patients a whole lot,” Mr. Foster said. “I enjoy interacting with the patients and their families. The sicker they are, the more I feel I can do for them.”

        In the ensuing years, Mr. Foster worked as a staff nurse, critical-care instructor, nursing shift supervisor and clinical nurse specialist. He also started an emergency nursing course at St. Elizabeth, as well as a course in critical-care nursing, both of which are now offered to nurses around the Tristate.

        T. Jane Swaim, St. Elizabeth's vice president for nursing, was among those who nominated Mr. Foster for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

        “Terry has touched the lives of many, educated thousands, and brought a wonderfully contagious brand of humor to his work,” Ms. Swaim said. “Perhaps the greatest of his many contributions to St. Elizabeth has been his continuous sharing of knowledge through mentoring, coaching and educating. He has made a real mark on the lives of many.”

        When the 43-year-old single father is not serving as the neighborhood nurse, or ministering medical aid to his daughter Meredith's soccer and basketball teams, he's the room parent for his daughter's fifth-grade class at Holy Cross Elementary in Covington.

        Mr. Foster also has been active as an officer in the Emergency Nursing Association, and he is a sought-after national speaker for his enthusiasm and knowledge of nursing.

        After his 32-year-old wife, Peggy, a fellow registered nurse, died of leukemia in 1995, Mr. Foster carried out a promise he'd made to his wife to organize an annual fund-raiser for leukemia patients.

        Today, the Peggy Foster Memorial Ball raises about $7,000 a year to help pay leukemia patients' expenses that aren't covered by medical insurance.

        “I'm accepting this award in her memory,” Mr. Foster said of his late wife. “She was such a wonderful person, my soulmate, and she was behind me in everything I ever did. I'm just so glad to have this chance to honor her because she was such a special person.”
       

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