This month we are highlighting Teresa Tholany, one of our Healthcare Team Managers. Teresa assists our affiliates with their medical questions and oversees the Abortion Pill Reversal Hotline. Before Teresa joined our Medical Impact team she was working in a Pregnancy Help Clinic for nearly five years and also in an administrative position in a hospital. She has been such a blessing to our team and for those of you who have already talked with her, we know you love her too!
Where did you grow up and go to school? I grew up near Buffalo, NY a few miles away from Lake Erie - a prime location for lake effect snow! I was homeschooled K-12th grade so even when we did get lake effect snow and the school district had a snow day, we didn't get a snow day because our books and teacher were at home with us!
Tell us about your recent wedding. My husband and I got married this past July and the wedding day truly was a dream and went so smoothly! We got married in Hamburg, NY and Joe's family traveled across the state from Congers, NY to be present for the wedding festivities! Joe's parents are from Kerala, India so we included some traditions that are important to them in our wedding.
Tell us about your husband. Joe and I met at work at the hospital. I was a floor nurse and he was a resident. I was adamant that I would never date a doctor and he always said he would never date a nurse - I guess we're proof it just takes the right person to change your mind and take a chance on! We actually worked together for two years before we started talking and dating. Joe is now in his second and final year of fellowship as an Infectious Disease Doctor and looks forward to working as an attending next year.
Tell us about your experience assisting with the Love Approach ultrasound clinical. Training nurses has been one of the best work experiences I have ever had. Everyone loves to share with others something that they are passionate about - and limited ultrasounds happen to be something I am passionate about! Being able to encourage, empower, and equip other nurses to perform limited OB ultrasounds using the LOVE Approach method was not only a great opportunity to share something I am passionate about with others, but it also gave me the opportunity to be inspired by the eagerness the nurses had to go back to their centers and introduce moms and dads to their babies via limited ultrasound!
What was your favorite part of helping clients in a center? My favorite part of helping clients in the center I worked at was showing the moms, dads, and families their little baby on the ultrasound screen.
Tell us about helping clients on APR hotline and now overseeing the hotline. Working with clients on the hotline gave me an even deeper respect and admiration for women who seek reversal of a chemical abortion. Seeing their momma instincts kick in and their bravery and determination to do everything in their power to help their baby is truly inspiring. Now as a Healthcare Team Manager overseeing the hotline, it is amazing to see the bigger picture of how many women our hotline nurses are impacting each and every day. It is humbling to have the privilege of working with and praying for the nurses who are assisting women who are in such difficult positions.
Tell us about working with the Medical Impact team. The Medical Impact Team is the best group of coworkers anyone could ask for! The leadership, support, and camaraderie on the team is a blessing! It is a gift to work in an environment that aligns with your beliefs and where everyone is striving to advance the same cause.
Tell us about how you help affiliates now with their medical services in a center. I enjoy serving our affiliates by answering their questions about ultrasound training, STI testing, offering abortion pill reversal in their center, and anything and everything related to the medical services centers offer. It is always wonderful to connect with our affiliates one-on-one and support them in their endeavors.
What do you enjoy most about your work? Mother Teresa said, "we can do no great things, only small things with great love." I enjoy all of the small opportunities that my job offers me - assisting an affiliate with a question, helping a nurse on the hotline find a provider for a woman seeking reversal - because these small situations offer opportunities to not just serve others but to serve others with great love which is what we are all called to do in life but especially in pregnancy help organizations.
What are your favorite things to do outside of work? You can always find me in the kitchen cooking or baking or in the living room working out when I'm not working!
What else would you like to share? The "So Delicious" dairy-free Dipped Coconut Almond Coconut Milk Ice Cream Bars are the most delicious frozen treat there is!