When Naysha Lopez, MD, received her medical degree, Evelyn Sotomayor, RN, the Mount Sinai nurse who helped care for her in 2004, was there to celebrate.
When Naysha Lopez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in June, Evelyn Sotomayor, RN, a pediatric nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai, was in the audience. It was no surprise that Ms. Sotomayor would travel more than 1,500 miles to be by Naysha’s side—this was another celebratory milestone in a long journey that first brought them together in 2004.
In August of that year, 13-year-old Naysha woke up one morning not feeling well, and by the time she got home from school, her skin and eye tone were yellow, and she had considerable abdominal pain.
Her doctor in Carolina, outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, diagnosed liver failure, and he immediately arranged for a medical plane to take her to The Mount Sinai Hospital, widely renowned as a center for adult and pediatric liver transplants.
Thirteen-year-old Naysha Lopez with Evelyn Sotomayor, RN, at Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai.
At Mount Sinai, doctors determined she had Wilson disease, an inherited condition that prevents the liver from filtering excess copper from the body correctly, causing organ damage. They initially feared she had 12 hours to live, and they placed Naysha at the top of the transplant list. A match was found one week later, and, on August 27, Mount Sinai surgeons transplanted the donated liver during a 10-hour surgery.
The family recalls a scary and lonely time. In addition to the stress of a life-threatening illness, they didn’t speak English, were strangers to New York, and had limited financial resources. But good fortune intervened: Ms. Sotomayor, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, immediately took Naysha and her parents under her wing in the ICU, explaining what to expect throughout the illness, reassuring them, and giving them hope. She also showed Naysha’s parents how to use the subway and where to shop for food and clothing.
When Naysha was transferred out of the ICU to another unit, Ms. Sotomayor visited Naysha’s bedside at the end of her shift, braiding her hair while encouraging her to be brave. “Sometimes when you’re sick, all you want is someone to talk to,” Naysha recalls. “Evelyn went above and beyond to show us she cared.” They talked for hours, and envisioned a future beyond the illness. Ms. Sotomayor even suggested that Naysha become a doctor, noting that her experience would give her a unique perspective.
After two months of hospitalization, when Naysha was transferred to the Transplant Living Center to continue her recovery, it was Ms. Sotomayor who brought her there, on her day off, to help her get settled. When Naysha was stronger, Ms. Sotomayor took the family on a Circle Line cruise and brought them to her Long Island home for the weekend.
Naysha Lopez at her high school prom with Evelyn Sotomayor, RN, in 2009.
In December 2004, fully recovered, Naysha and her family returned to Puerto Rico, where they have kept in touch with Ms. Sotomayor, who over the years has attended many of Naysha’s milestones, including her quinceañera—the traditional birthday celebration for Latina girls when they turn 15—and her high school prom and graduation. “She is like family,” says Naysha, who also recalls the excellent care she received from her entire medical team, and social workers who raised donations for the family and brought in a teacher to help with her schoolwork.
In July, as Naysha—now Dr. Lopez—begins her residency in Emergency Medicine in Carolina, she continues to be inspired by her own experience at Mount Sinai, and, most significantly, by Ms. Sotomayor. “She showed me how rewarding it is to take care of people. Because of Evelyn, I trust nurses and have tremendous respect for the role they play in healing their patients.”
Adds Ms. Sotomayor, “I feel blessed that they have been in my life. I feel good when I can help people and give them hope. That’s the best feeling of all.”