ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A woman who suffered severe burns as an infant is finally getting a chance to thank the hospital nurse who cared for her, thanks to a social media posting that revealed the identity of the nurse in 38-year-old photos.
Amanda Scarpinati says she has always treasured photos of her as a baby in a young nurse’s arms. The pictures were published in Albany Medical Center’s 1977 annual report without names. The black-and-white photos shot by photographer Carl Howard have a beatific, “Madonna and Child” quality.
In this 1977 photo provided by Albany Medical Center, nurse Susan Berger cuddles infant Amanda Scarpinati, who had been severely burned by a steam vaporizer at home, in the pediatric unit at Albany Medical Center in Albany N.Y. Scarpinati kept the hospitals annual report that published the photo and was comforted by the picture when she was bullied for her burn scars as a child. She recently used social media to learn Bergers identity so she could thank her for her loving care. Albany Medical Center has arranged for the two women to meet on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015.
“Growing up as a child, disfigured by the burns, I was bullied and picked on, tormented,” said Scarpinati, 38, of Athens, 25 miles south of Albany. “I’d look at those pictures and talk to her, even though I didn’t know who she was. I took comfort looking at this woman who seemed so sincere caring for me.”
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