August 2026 Honoree
Terilyn Anderson, ADN, RN
Terilyn is our lactation specialist, and for years I have seen her go above and beyond for her patients. I recently heard some details of a specific patient who had an incredible experience with Terilyn.
She was a first-time mom who had a very difficult labor and was readmitted twice with mastitis. She had a very difficult time with breastfeeding, and Terilyn worked with her for hours and hours in the weeks and months after her delivery.
Terilyn saw the mom's need for validation, and she praised the patient for all of her efforts with pumping and feeding, and for her continuing efforts to try to breastfeed. She also was a voice of permission, letting the mom know that it was okay to prioritize her health and sanity, even if breastfeeding never worked out. She validated that pumping and bottle feeding were still a great benefit to the baby, and that if the mom needed to switch to formula, she was still an amazing mom who loved her baby.
She spent hours helping the patient meet her goals while also helping her make sure the baby was fed appropriately. The mom ended up moving to another state after a couple of months. She called Terilyn, crying, from another state to tell Terilyn that she was now breastfeeding successfully, and that she was grateful that Terilyn had continued to work with her for so long.
Terilyn has done this with many patients. She takes calls from not just people who deliver at our hospital, but people who deliver at other hospitals or at home, because she truly does just want what is best for mom and babies in our community.
There are countless moms who have been able to breastfeed when they want to because Terilyn worked with them in the hospital and continued to support them at home. There are also a lot of moms who, for different reasons, weren't successful with breastfeeding or who chose not to, who were supported in that decision by Terilyn, as she reassured them that a fed baby is best and that their sanity and health mattered.
She has been an amazing resource to our community.
She was a first-time mom who had a very difficult labor and was readmitted twice with mastitis. She had a very difficult time with breastfeeding, and Terilyn worked with her for hours and hours in the weeks and months after her delivery.
Terilyn saw the mom's need for validation, and she praised the patient for all of her efforts with pumping and feeding, and for her continuing efforts to try to breastfeed. She also was a voice of permission, letting the mom know that it was okay to prioritize her health and sanity, even if breastfeeding never worked out. She validated that pumping and bottle feeding were still a great benefit to the baby, and that if the mom needed to switch to formula, she was still an amazing mom who loved her baby.
She spent hours helping the patient meet her goals while also helping her make sure the baby was fed appropriately. The mom ended up moving to another state after a couple of months. She called Terilyn, crying, from another state to tell Terilyn that she was now breastfeeding successfully, and that she was grateful that Terilyn had continued to work with her for so long.
Terilyn has done this with many patients. She takes calls from not just people who deliver at our hospital, but people who deliver at other hospitals or at home, because she truly does just want what is best for mom and babies in our community.
There are countless moms who have been able to breastfeed when they want to because Terilyn worked with them in the hospital and continued to support them at home. There are also a lot of moms who, for different reasons, weren't successful with breastfeeding or who chose not to, who were supported in that decision by Terilyn, as she reassured them that a fed baby is best and that their sanity and health mattered.
She has been an amazing resource to our community.
Thank you, Terilyn, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
View More Honorees