When Fox Hill resident Sarah Pasternack walked into what she thought was a small gathering to recognize National Nurses Week, she was surprised to see nearly 30 former colleagues and dear friends. The group had gathered to inform Sarah that she was being recognized for an accomplished career in nursing with the addition of her name to the Wall of Honour at the Florence Nightingale Museum in London.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “In my wildest dreams, I could not imagine having my name up there. It is the highest honor of my entire nursing career!” Sarah becomes only the fourth Boston nurse to be named to the Wall of Honour. Connie Crowley Ganser, Sarah’s colleague and initiator of the nomination, presented slides featuring the Florence Nightingale Museum’s Wall of Honour and the sash bearing Sarah’s name.
Like many members of her profession, Sarah knew she wanted to be a nurse from an early age. She admired an older cousin attending nursing school and loved the white cap she wore. By age 14, Sarah was already volunteering at a local hospital in New Jersey. After graduating from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, she started practicing as a nurse but quickly recognized there was more she wanted to learn. She returned to school to earn her bachelor’s degree followed by a master’s degree in parent-child nursing.
For the next 10 years, Sarah put her education to use as an assistant professor at Boston University School of Nursing, while still practicing part-time. She went on to become an assistant clinical professor at Simmons University, head nurse of the Adolescent/Young Adult unit at Boston Children’s Hospital and director of nursing/patient services at Children’s Hospital.
While focused on supporting the professional development of nurses, Sarah never hesitated to fill in when her unit was short-staffed. Her willingness to be both a top-level leader and hands-on caregiver in the trenches endeared her to staff and parents of children receiving care at Children’s Hospital.
Ostensibly retired from nursing in 2010, Sarah continued to stay involved, serving as president (1999-2022) of the Nursing Archives Associates, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at BU, and as community representative on the Institutional Review Board at Curry College.
In 2019, she moved from her spacious home in Stoughton to Fox Hill Village, where she’s part of the proud FHV “Legacy” generation, as her mother lived here before her. We congratulate Sarah on receiving this prestigious honor and for her inspiring career dedicated to healing, teaching and leading by example. After a lifetime of service, you deserve some TLC from the caring team at Fox Hill Village.