ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) – It all started with a photo posted to social media and a plea for help finding the woman in it.
Amanda Scarpinati is the baby being held by nurse Sue Berger in a photo taken in 1977 at Albany Medical Center. It was so long ago, that recovery room doesn’t exist anymore.
Scarpinati was just 3-months-old in the image. She was recovering from severe burns after an accident. Scarpinati endured years
of surgeries for her wounds and said she would look at the picture every time she was bullied for her burns.
On Tuesday, nearly 40 years after it was taken, Berger and Scarpinati were reunited, and both could hardly believe it was really happening.
You could hear how fast their hearts were beating.
Scarpinati said it felt like the excitement of Christmas. Berger gasped as she turned the corner to see Scarpinati’s face.
Scarpinati first shared the photo of the pair on Facebook last week and asked NEWS10 ABC to do the same.
Angela Leary, of Delmar, was also a nurse at Albany Med when the picture was taken. She recognized Berger and helped make the reunion happen.
Berger said she didn’t realize how much of an impact she had by just loving and holding a baby.
“I think it’s just that reminder that you can make a difference,” she said. “You just have to remember to have that compassion every day, and nursing is very difficult to always stay on. Teachers are the same way. It’s just difficult to always be on, and you never know what you say or what you do can do for others.”
Scarpinati and Berger said they planned to spend some time together Tuesday evening and plan to keep in touch.
