Unmasking Our Healthcare Heroes
In 1988, Missy Beal was a young nursing student in the Somerset County Practical Nursing Program at the Scull Building in Uptown Somerset, crisply attired in a mandatory yellow dress, white stockings and sharply polished shoes.
How times have changed.
“I haven’t owned an iron since then,” Beal said with a laugh. “I tossed out the iron when I tossed out the yellow dress. I remember when we graduated and I could finally put on the white uniform and the cap.”
After beginning her career at Meyersdale Manor and moving briefly to a sister facility in Chambersburg, Beal has been at The Patriot’s Personal Care for the past 24 years. “I applied at another nursing home and The Patriot,” she said, “and The Patriot hired me on the spot.”
Beal’s caring, easy going personality quickly engages with the Personal Care residents. The relationships she’s formed over the years will never be forgotten.
“I love making a difference in their lives,” she said. “They become your family.”
And it’s a family atmosphere that has helped Beal overcome life’s difficulties, such as the passing of her husband three years ago and her son’s motorcycle accident in 2006.
“This family has seen me through a lot of hard times,” she said. “They’ve just really taken care of me.”
In her spare time, Beal, a mother of two, enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach and traveling. She has five grandchildren with another on the way.
Thank you Missy, for your compassion and dedication!
