Laurie Van Damme, a perinatal nurse navigator at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, takes her job in patient care seriously. She has a knack for compassionate care that touched the heart of one very special patient. Patricia Bery received frightening news during her first pregnancy. Her baby’s kidneys developed at different rates, which made her pregnancy high-risk. After delivering the news, doctors left her alone, and Laurie came in to comfort her. “I was sitting there in tears, and she was like, ‘Let’s get you something to drink,’” Patricia told Today. “Miss Laurie stopped everything for me. I’ll never forget it.” Laurie Van Damme’s Kindness Changed Patricia Bery’s Life Patricia Bery knew, as she bonded with Laurie Van Damme, how lucky she was. “This is more than a job for Miss Laurie,” Patricia said. “She doesn’t just see a patient, she sees the whole person.” Just weeks before her due date, Patricia was in a car accident. She contacted Laurie, who advised her to go to the emergency room. Staff waited for her arrival, including Laurie. “Her being there with me made all the difference,” Patricia said. She got pregnant with her second baby a few months after giving birth to her first, and once again, Laurie was with her. Patricia Bery knew she wanted to do something special for Laurie Van Damme. “They always say you remember how people impact you, but you forget their names. I didn’t want to forget hers,” she recalled. “God placed Miss Laurie in my life, and I want to always remember her.” Patricia Bery named her baby girl Nhori, in honor of Laurie Van Damme. “She has all the qualities I want my daughter to have — compassionate, consistent, truly caring — and that’s the kind of character I hope Nhori grows into,” Patricia said. The gesture meant everything to Laurie Van Damme. “Patricia wanted to carry a piece of someone she felt was filled with goodness and light with her family,” Laurie said. “I had tears. As a nurse, you don’t expect to be a permanent part of someone’s life, and to have them want that it’s humbling and beautiful. I still get choked up thinking about it. I feel so blessed to do this work, to focus on people, not just numbers. That’s what nursing is really about.” You can find this story’s featured image here.