Gratitude in Action

Lisa Silber remembers curling up next to her mother as a child and peppering her with questions about her day as an intensive care unit nurse. Always curious about her parents’ work, the Ocean University Medical Center senior physical therapist shadowed other health care providers in the hospital where her mother worked and looked up to her father, a pharmaceutical professional, before deciding to pursue degrees in biological sciences and physical therapy.

“My mom was the type of person who would do anything for anyone in need,” Lisa says. “Not only was she an extremely caring and compassionate nurse, but she was also an amazing friend and family member.” Lisa recalls her mother’s talent as a seamstress and the masks she sewed for family and friends during the pandemic. 

Turning Loss Into Legacy

Sadly, Lisa lost both her parents to cancer—her father in 2021 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer and her mom in 2023 after a brief fight with endometrial cancer. Fueled by her parents’ generosity and giving spirit, Lisa decided to help others by providing a significant gift that will help the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Nursing Scholarship Fund.

“With the gift my parents left me and my family, I wanted to do something they would be proud of. I could not think of anything that would suit them more than to begin a scholarship in their name to help nurses looking to advance their skills and degree,” says Lisa, who celebrated her 10-year anniversary at Hackensack Meridian Health in September 2024.

Lisa also notes: “My daughter was 10 days old when my dad passed, and my mom passed a week after her second birthday. I wanted to do something my kids could also see with this scholarship too as they get older, to remember them by.”

Paying It Forward

Lisa’s gift is part of a larger nursing philanthropy initiative at Hackensack Meridian Health. 

Launched in 2022, the effort advances exceptional patient care by giving patients and their families a way to harness their gratitude in support of new programs and resources to help nurses achieve professional and educational excellence. 

“This gift represents my gratitude to all the amazing nursing and hospital staff who took care of my parents in their final hours,” says Lisa. “This was my way to honor them as well.

“Despite the heartache and sadness of losing my parents,” says Lisa, “I am grateful they gave me this gift that I am able to share in their memory, and in that way, they live on in others’ lives as well.”