Some retirements come with cake and speeches. Wynola Wayne’s came with a five-minute standing ovation, and a patient who says he owes her his life.

Wayne retired after 58 years as a nurse in Columbus, Ohio. At her send-off, Marco Houpe escorted her out of the building.

Their connection began in 1965, when Houpe was 15 months old and visiting his grandmother’s house. A Christmas tree caught fire, and Houpe suffered third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body.

“On the way to the hospital, I died twice. … They didn’t expect me to make it,” Houpe said. “When the fire department found me, a toy was melted in my left hand.”

Houpe was taken to what is now Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where Wayne was a new nurse in training in the burn unit.

“And there was such a feeling of connection with him,” Wayne recalled. “And even though those burns were extensive, I said, ‘You’re going to survive.’ Because I could see it in his eyes.”

Houpe said his parents never forgot her.

“My parents used to tell me about this nurse. In the morning, she was there. In the evening, she was there. At night, she was there,” Houpe said.

Asked if his parents credited Wayne with saving his life, Houpe said, “Yep, absolutely,” and said he has come to believe that too.

“If it wasn’t for her then, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

Houpe is now married to his wife Tiffany and has been for 12 years. They have two children, and he works as a school administrator and coach.

Wayne said none of that surprises her. She was so struck by Houpe as a little boy that she named her own son after him.

Houpe said Wayne’s compassion left a lasting mark on him too, and he calls her his guardian angel.

“She fought for me while I didn’t know how to fight. She would not give up,” he said.

Although Wayne has retired from nursing, Houpe says one title will stay.

“You’re an angel. You’re an angel.”

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