Woman burned as a baby, tracks down nurse who cared for her, to thank her

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.

Nurse Susan Berger, left, and Amanda Scarpinati pose with a copy of a 1977 Albany Medical Center annual report during a news conference at Albany Medical Center. (AP)

"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."

She tried to find out the nurse's name 20 years ago without success. When she posted the photos on Facebook this month at the urging of a friend, she doubted her plea to help put a name to the nurse's face would be successful.

Nurse Susan Berger, left, and Amanda Scarpinati hug during a news conference at Albany Medical Center. (AP)

"Within 12 hours, it had gone viral with 5,000 shares across the country," said Scarpinati, who works as a human resources manager. "It was on the local TV news the next morning. I was blown away."

Angela Leary, a former nurse at Albany Medical Center, sent Scarpinati a message saying the nurse in the photo is Susan Berger, who had moved to the Syracuse area years ago. "She was as sweet and caring as she looks in this picture," Leary wrote.

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