A Lowcountry Life

If you lived in Savannah or on Wilmington Island in the 1990s and early 2000s, then there is a good chance that you’ve seen Kristin Callaghan, a physician assistant at Beaufort Memorial Urology Specialists. Of course, she was school-aged then. And when you saw her, she may have been riding on a haybale-filled trailer or a parade float.

You see, Kristin was born in Savannah amidst a massive Lowcountry family — “too many to count,” she says. Her great-grandmother was one of fifteen children, whose children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren largely remained close to one another and close to home. And two of the biggest events that brought this sprawling family together year after year were Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day.

“Around Christmas, somebody would drive a truck that pulled a trailer that was full of hay bales, and we sat in the back going around town, knocking on people’s doors and singing Christmas carols,” Kristin said. “And somebody always made a big pot of chili. It was so much fun.

“And then my family is Irish-Catholic and so growing up in Savannah with the St. Patrick’s Day parade was a big deal for us,” she continued. “We’d decorate a float and walk in the parade. With a big, extended family, it’s those kinds of events that bring everybody together.”

Driven to Learn and Travel

Kristin is now a Bluffton, S.C., resident. But don’t let her decision to continue living in the Lowcountry convince you that she hasn’t gone far in life.

In high school she excelled in the classroom, completing the International Baccalaureate program, which is an international academic program designed to prepare students for success in college. And when not studying she cheered competitively and participated in mock trial.

“Everyone thought I was going to be an attorney because I was in mock trial,” she said. “But that was never my thing. I just really liked the idea of being challenged. It forced me to improve my public speaking. And I loved all things related to school.”

That early academic success led to further opportunities. She went on mission trips to Belize and the Dominican Republic, but one of her favorite experiences there was being able to study abroad in the Quito, Ecuador. The trips weren’t merely for fun, though. She graduated cum laude with degrees in both biology and Spanish, and is now able to converse with her Spanish-speaking patients thanks to those experiences.

“It’s my little secret,” she quipped. “Though, I’ve obviously had to tweak it a little bit to the urology setting.”

Her love of travel didn’t end with college, however. After meeting her husband, the two have traveled as much as they could. They have traveled across the Caribbean Islands, to Fiji for their honeymoon and even backpacked around Italy.

“Our favorite city was Siena,” she said. “The people there just take you in like you’re family, even if you can’t communicate well. Although, I did have a bit of luck talking to them in Spanish.”

A Growing Family

Things have changed in Kristin’s life in recent years. With three daughters under 3 years of age, two of them being twins, her family is now even bigger.

“I always knew that I wanted to have a family, and have kids,” Kirsten said.

She and her husband, who works in sales supplying grocery stores nationwide with locally grown potatoes, spend their days off going outdoors as much as possible. Most weekends, you’ll find the family at the beach on Hilton Head Island or going to local parks. She and her husband also love to go on runs, something they’re just getting back into now that the babies are a bit older.

But while Kristin and her growing family have kept their roots in the Lowcountry, travel still beckons. They will soon face their first family trip requiring a flight with a trip to Pennsylvania to visit family. After that, who knows where they’ll venture to next.