10 Questions with Susanne Lundgren
Susanne Lundgren is the lead switchboard at Cape Cod Hospital. A 39-year employee, she loves people and the Cape. You can say hello personally to Susanne – or her colleagues – who answer the hospital’s general number.
1) What was your very first job?
My family had a summer cottage on the Cape and my mom and dad said if we’re going to spend the summer here, my brother and I would have to get a job.
My first paid job was as a chambermaid. It required a good work ethic. I can make a great bed and clean a bathroom meticulously in a really short time.
And I made incredible tips. One time I was stripping the sheets off a bed and 10, $10 bills came fluttering out. It was unbelievable!
2) How did you arrive at Cape Cod Healthcare?
I’ve been here 39 years in June. I had graduated from college and I was just going to finish my job managing a motel for the summer. Managing it during the summer put me through college.
My parents had just moved down here permanently, when my father died unexpectedly. I said I’d stay with my mother for one year and I got a six-month weekend job in medical records. Turns out I just fell in love with the Cape.
I’ve also worked in nutrition here and took a role on the information desk. My degree was in the Hotel, Restaurant and Travel and it seemed to fit.
3) What is your prized possession?
I have two. My health -- I want to stay young and vibrant. I don’t believe in getting old.
And the other is my fabulous dog Sophia. I call her Sophie in the day-to-day, but it’s Sophia when she’s bad. If she hears Sophia, she stops dead in her tracks and is, like, “Oh (expletive), what have I done!” [laughing]
Sophia won the "Top Dog" of Dennis contest in 2020. Around election season, they posted pictures of about 15 dogs for residents to vote on and my dog won!
As a sidebar, I don’t want people to think I’m a crazy dog person. [laughs]
4) What’s your favorite movie?
“The Way We Were” with Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. It’s a beautiful romance between two different people and how they overcame a lot. But unfortunately, they didn’t fight for their relationship. At the end when she brushes back his hair and then leaves him, it was, like, *UGH!* I always wished there was a sequel.
5) What’s on your To-Do list
My To-Do list is to live life to the fullest, it’s too short.
6) What are you putting off at the moment?
I have a cousin in Sweden and last year we had a “special birthday.” We were going to meet in Greece and celebrate. Neither one of us feels comfortable travelling yet. We’ll definitely do it someday.
7) What is something you always keep in your trunk?
I have tennis balls and poop bags. [laughing] They always have to be in my trunk because you never know when I’ll stop with Sophia somewhere. I don’t want to end up in deep… you know...!
8) What life advice would you give others?
My mom instilled in us to be a leader, not a follower. So, when life throws something at me, I can give a definitive answer, never wishy-washy.
When people talk about peer pressure, you can overcome that by being a leader and still being respected. That’s what I try to tell my nephew.
9) What do you keep an emergency supply of?
I have a full pantry. I have canned goods, toilet paper, everything. When this pandemic started, by brother and cousin called me and wanted to know if I had enough to get by. I said “Are you kidding me? I’m all set for a year! I’m a Girl Scout!”
I try to be self-sufficient. I have to be, unless someone wanted to adopt me. [laughing]
10) What song is stuck in your head at the moment?
I love the new song by Bruno Mars, “Leave the Door Open.” I like the lyrics, the message of it. It’s the number one song right now. It’s got a good vibe. [Calls it up on her phone and begins to groove] See, it’s a good song!
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people say I’m self-sufficient but I have to be as I am alone down here. Unless someone wants to adopt me!
