It took over 20 years for Amanda Scarpinati to recover from burn scars left on her body as a baby, but only 24 hours for social media to help her identify the unnamed nurse that was pictured comforting her 38 years ago.
At just 3 months old, Scarpinati suffered third-degree burns when she was left unattended next to a hot steam humidifier. The boiling water and the melted menthol rub scalded her, requiring years of reconstructive surgeries into her 20s.
Photos from the Albany Medical Center’s 1977 annual report show a nurse holding Scarpinati as a baby, wrapped in gauze. The nurse has a doting gaze on her face as she comforts the recovering infant.
“Growing up as a child, disfigured by the burns, I was bullied and picked on, tormented,” said Scarpinati. “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.”
Two weeks ago, Scarpinati took to Facebook to track down the woman who brought her so much comfort throughout her life.
“I tried almost 20 years ago to find out who the nurse is holding me, but had no luck,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Maybe now with the powers of social media someone will recognize her.”
Then finally, a message from a colleague of the nurse back in 1977 identified the woman.
“I knew this nurse very well and her name is Susan Berger. She was as sweet and caring as she looks in this picture. She loved her job and caring for children and adults alike,” it read.
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Berger was only 21 years old at the time the photos were taken and Scarpinati was one of her first patients. Now an executive vice president at Cazenovia College in New York, Berger had not forgotten Scarpinati.
“I remember her. She was very peaceful. Usually when babies come out of surgery, they’re sleeping or crying. She was just so calm and trusting. It was amazing,” she recalled before the women met face to face.
On Tuesday, the women had an emotional reunion at the Albany Medical Center where they first met.
“Oh my God, you’re real!” said Scarpinati as she embraced Berger. “Thank you!”
“I had no idea it would have this impact for her,” said Berger. “So what may seem like a gift for her has been an amazing gift for me.”
“You never know if that one act of kindness can change someone’s life,” Scarpinati told WRGB. “I mean, looking at a photograph, it got me through and changed my life.”
– with files from the Associated Press
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