Casey Perry, RN, a clinical nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), cares for patients every day – helping them recover and gain strength. For one patient, though, she inspired a complete shift in career path.
In 2013, Rachel Butler was working one of her last lifeguarding shifts of the summer before entering her freshman year at Keene State. What started as any other day ended in tragedy when Rachel fell on a wooden stake, causing severe bleeding and internal injuries. Rachel was transported to Brigham and Women’s, where she was admitted to the trauma service. Perry cared for Rachel and left an indelible impression with her calm, loving, genuine, and skilled care. As a result, Rachel was inspired to become a nurse. She entered the nursing program at Simmons College because of its proximity to BWH.
Last May, four years after her accident, Rachel received her nursing degree. In the audience at her graduation, unbeknownst to her, sat the nurse that had inspired her to change her career path. When Rachel saw Perry in the crowd and gave her a heartfelt embrace after the ceremony, it brought tears to those around them. Rachel had realized her dream and the time had come for her to care for her own patients – and to inspire them the way Casey Perry had inspired her.
