Burn survivor joins nurse’s retirement sendoff decades after fire
CBS News reported that Marco Houpe honored Wynola Wayne, the Columbus nurse who helped save him after a 1965 fire.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
Marco Houpe was 15 months old in 1965 when a fire left him with third-degree burns over 85% of his body, according to CBS News.
At a burn unit in Columbus, Ohio, a young trainee nurse named Wynola Wayne helped save his life, CBS News’ Steve Hartman reported.
Nearly six decades later, their story came full circle at Wayne’s retirement farewell. CBS News reported that Wayne recently ended a nursing career that lasted almost 60 years, and Houpe was there to make clear the party was more than a routine goodbye.
The CBS report described the sendoff as “no ordinary farewell party,” centered on the bond between a nurse at the start of her career and a child fighting for his life after severe burns.
Wayne was working in her hospital’s burn unit when Houpe was treated there, according to CBS News. The report credits her as one of the people who helped save him after the fire.
Hartman’s report framed Houpe’s appearance at the retirement celebration as a tribute to the woman who had been part of his survival story since infancy.
For Wayne, the goodbye marked the close of nearly six decades in nursing. For Houpe, CBS News reported, it was a chance to honor a caregiver whose role in his life began before he was old enough to remember it.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.