In 2006, Mike Lopes' wife, Lesli, was diagnosed with cancer. By 2010, she was nearing the end of her life.
That July, she went into liver failure. Her condition caused severe disorientation and confusion, and by the time she was admitted to the hospital a few weeks later, Lesli could no longer recognize her family, including Mike.
Not long after they had settled into her hospital room, a woman walked in. It was Beverly Olivier-Blount, Lesli's longtime chemotherapy nurse.
"It was the first recognition that my wife knew somebody that was in the room," Lopes recalled. "And she got a big smile on her face."
Every other week for the past three or four years, Lesli had gone to an infusion center for chemotherapy. Beverly had been the nurse administering her treatments, connecting her IV and often sitting next to her and holding her hand.
Sometimes they would talk about their shared love of music. Beverly was a trained violinist who had studied at the Juilliard School, and Lesli had also played the violin. For Lesli, those conversations became a bright spot in one of the hardest periods of her life.
"Every time Lesli came home from chemo, she would talk about what [she] and Beverly talked about," Lopes said. "The two of them really hit it off."
Lopes was used to seeing Beverly only at the infusion center. So he was caught off guard when she walked into their hospital room that day. How had she known they were there?
"And she said ... 'They called me up and told me that Lesli was in the hospital. So I'm taking the first shift with your wife.'"
Lopes also learned that it was Beverly's day off. But as soon as she had gotten that call, she'd headed straight to the hospital. Then she spent the next eight to 12 hours caring for Lesli.
Lopes met Lesli in high school, when she was 16 and he was 17. He remembers her as quick-witted and free-spirited, always eager to travel or have a long conversation with one of her nieces. What Beverly did for her still brings Lopes to tears, 16 years later.
"That just moved me. You wouldn't believe that somebody would come in on their day off and come into the hospital because their patient was there," Lopes said.
"She definitely affected me in a very special way. And so Beverly is my unsung hero."
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
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