NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire Pediatrics nurse Lynn DeSanty has been selected for the January Community Hero of the Month. 

 

The Community Hero of the Month series runs for the next 10 months in partnership with Haddad Auto. Nominated community members and organizations have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact on their community. 

 

DeSanty has been a nurse for 42 years and during her tenure has built a strong connection with her patients, their parents, and her co-workers.

 

During an emotional interview, DeSanty announced that she will be retiring at the end of May, which is going to be very hard for her. 

 

"That is going to be very hard for me because I love these children, and I love all the people I work with," she said. 

 

"So my legacy, I just hope that people know how much this has meant to me my whole life, to be a nurse and to take care of their children." 

 

Although she is retiring, she intends on staying in communication with Northern Berkshire Pediatrics so she can help out when needed. 

 

"I can never not be a nurse. It would be like not being able to breathe," DeSanty said. 

 

She has wanted to be a nurse since an incident with a cruel nurse when she was a child.

 

"I was 6 years old, my sister and I had to get our tonsils out and back then you stayed overnight in the hospital, and your parents couldn't be with you. I was very painfully shy and my sister did all the talking for me, she's a year older than I am. And we had the most cruel nurse I've ever met in my life, she was terrible," DeSanty said. 

 

"From that day on, I said, 'I'm going to be a nurse and I'm never going to be mean, I'm just going to be kind to everyone.' And so I get to live my dream every single day to do that."

 

She has been living her dream and influencing generations of patients who look back and remember the nurse who made the scary doctor appointments less scary. 

 

"She's a staple here. She has been here for a long time and has watched generations of families come into the office and grow through years of time here working closely with them. She is a friendly face to everybody," clinical manager Jaclyn Latimer said. 

 

"... She's just very ingrained in the community and everyone knows Nurse Lynnie. She's been great with the flu clinics and all that so, she's definitely well known here and has touched many patients' lives through generations at this point."

 

She was described as a caring, warm, and dedicated nurse who helps create a safe comfortable environment for her patients. 

 

"She helps, hugs, and loves every baby, toddler, child, and teen in Berkshire County. She is the warmest and most caring nurse I've ever seen, always a joy for kids to see Lynn. She's an angel on earth," nominator Chad Gross said. 

 

Both of Gross' sons went to Northern Berkshire Pediatrics and had DeSanty as their nurse. Although they are grown and in college now, they still remember her. Gross calls her the "Mother Teresa of Berkshire County." 

 

She never sees a stranger and can be seen out in public hugging people, Gross said, and she has a special place in heart for kids.

 

These remarks were echoed by her co-workers who have enjoyed working with her and will greatly miss her when she retires. 

 

"She is one of the most welcoming people I've ever met. She embraces everyone with love and hugs and Lynn likes to have a good time. She definitely is a ray of positive energy that she puts out," Latimer said. 

 

It's important to bond with patients, especially in pediatrics, because it can be scary, certified medical assistant Lisa- Marie Pisano said.

 

When a child visits the office they don't know what is going to happen. Sometimes they are sick and need an invasive procedure, such as testing for strep, or they need to get a vaccine, Pisano said.

 

If you have a rapport with them they feel more comfortable it puts them at ease which makes the job easier, she said. 

 

"[Connecting with the patients and their parents is] important because then they develop trust. They trust you," DeSanty said. 

 

As a nurse she is responsible for all of their immunizations, scripts, and prior authorizations with insurance so it is important to have that trust, she said. 

 

"That's very important to me to take care of these children, and to take care of all their needs and the parents' needs," she said. 

 

DeSanty genuinely cares about her patients and their families, behavioral health clinician Timothy Briggs said, she wants the best for everybody. 

 

"Lynn just has the ability to just show love and care and support towards everybody. She's, as you probably know, as everybody knows, she's a huge hugger around here. She can tell when somebody's struggling or having a tough day and she reaches out her hugs for people," Briggs said. 

 

It has been wonderful working with DeSanty, Pisano said. She is kind-hearted and looks out for everyone. And if you are having a bad day you can always rely on DeSanty to give you a hug and make you smile.

 

"She's got a candy drawer for us that she buys all our special candies that she knows that we like. So if we're having a bad day, we can go grab a piece and it always makes us smile," Pisano continued. 

 

"She just makes me want to be more like her, just love everybody for who they are and just put a smile on their face by giving them a hug or just saying a kind word."

 

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