10 Questions with Hester Grue
At age 19, when Hester Grue started working part-time at Cape Cod Hospital as a rehab secretary, it was meant to be a short-term gig until she “figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up.”
Fast-forward more than five decades, and Hester jokes she still hasn’t figured it out.
On February 5, 2023, she celebrated her 55th anniversary with Cape Cod Healthcare. This major milestone makes her the longest-running, continually serving active CCHC employee on staff today.
As a Certified Tumor Registrar, Hester attends cancer conferences via Zoom with surgeons and specialists who present cancer cases and discuss best treatment plans for patients. A major part of her job includes inputting information into a database for the National Cancer Database as well as the Massachusetts Cancer Registry. The data generates the number of cancer incidences and tracks survival statistics.
“It gives you a purpose to do the best job you can,” says Hester, who has worked in this position for 35 years. “My role entails a lot of responsibilities, and I’m constantly learning new things—it’s one of the reasons why I’ve stayed on for so long.”
Although Hester has worked in a variety of jobs at Cape Cod Hospital, she says working as a receptionist in the ER was the most exciting and unpredictable. She recalls several times celebrities would come through while on the Cape & Islands. “You just never knew who was going to show up or what situation you would be thrown into.”
Hester lives in Brewster with her husband, Earl (aka “Terry”), who worked as a lab tech at Cape Cod Hospital for 50 years and retired in 2018. They have two daughters, one who works for Cape Cod Healthcare as a scheduler for Urgent Care, and four grandchildren ages 5 to 13. We recently caught up with Hester to chat about her long career, words of wisdom for the next generation of healthcare workers and what a perfect day off looks like for her.
1. What brought you to Cape Cod Healthcare?
My mom worked as a rehab nurse at Cape Cod Hospital. She told me they were looking for a secretary. I was going to 4Cs at the time and I needed a part-time job. I have been very fortunate because over my 55 years here, I have had about six different jobs and almost all of it was on-the-job training.
2. What was your very first job and what was your big takeaway?
Working in bakery sales at Krummy Bakery in Dennis Port. The best thing I learned—you need to show up on time and put your eight hours in. You have a responsibility and people are relying on you.
3. Best memories or memorable moments?
I have seen such a huge expansion at Cape Cod Hospital. When I started, it was a tiny community hospital, everybody knew everyone and the south wing was the brand new wing. I have been through several ER expansions, a new ICU, new labor and delivery unit, the Mugar tower and now a new cancer center is being built. I remember when they dug a hole for the current radiation center. That was really poignant for me because my aunt and godmother passed away from cancer and they had to travel to Boston every week for radiation treatments because we had no radiation down here at the time.
4. Words of wisdom for the next generation of healthcare workers?
You have to love what you do. With every job, you are going to have good days and bad days. If you don’t love what you’re doing and the benefits don’t outweigh the stress, you’re not going to be happy doing what you’re doing, and maybe it’s time to change careers.
5. A quote or phrase you live by?
“One day at a time.” You can make yourself crazy if you think, “What if this happens or that happens?” Half the time, the things you worry about don’t ever come to fruition.
6. What would be your dream job?
I’d be rather rich and famous, but maybe an event planner or wedding planner—happy stuff. I’m good about being organized and getting my ducks in a row.
7. A perfect day off?
To sleep in late and spend time with my family. At this point, that’s our biggest enjoyment. Kids grow up so fast. Before you know it, the grandchildren don’t want to hang out with Nana and Papa.
8. Anything on the horizon you are excited about?
We just came back from a trip—we have a timeshare in St. Martin. We try to get down there for our two weeks in February.
9. What is the next thing on your to-do list?
Watching the grandchildren grow up. That’s our biggest thing—hanging out with our kids, and fortunately, they like to hang out with us. Supporting the grandkids and whatever they are doing are important to us. They live close by, and we are still able to attend most of their basketball and flag football games.
10. Favorite places on the Cape to explore?
We are pretty happy here in Brewster. We have two ponds in our neighborhood with private beaches. My kids grew up on the Cape, so they are Cape kids. They love the beach and they pass it along to their kids. Everyone is pretty happy to be around the water.
