Society & Culture
Dr. Landers' mother completed her master's degree in library science and worked full time as a school librarian in the 1950's and 60's long before that was the norm for women/mothers. "My mother grew up on a farm, lived through the Great Depression and met my dad, a WWII veteran after the war," says Landers. "She was a natural born giver, always looking after the needs of others," say the doctor.One family tradition that Susan embraced while growing up, was the daily family dinners. She continued the tradition with her own family as she saw the true benefits of taking the time to share each other's day.The second oldest of four children, Susan had a sense of independence from a young age. She new she wanted to study and work hard and no one was going to talk her out of relocating for an opportunity to train for her medical career.Susan and her mother didn't always see eye to eye and her father had a volatile personality. Susan often wondered why her mother stayed with their dad and her response was "because I loved him."After many years of not truly understanding why Dr. Landers worked so hard, her mother volunteered in the NICU at a Florida hospital, helping and holding babies. She finally understood why her daughter was so passionate about her career. Susan's mother died at the age of 97 but it took the death of Susan's younger sister for their relationship to be rekindled.