COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Wynola Wayne walked out of work for the last time after 58 years as a nurse, you could tell this was no ordinary retirement send-off. This was the canonization of a saint who went above and beyond for her patients.

Back in 1965, Marco Houpe, who was just 15 months old at the time, was visiting his grandma’s house when a Christmas tree caught fire. Marco had third-degree burns over 85% 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 brought to what is now Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where a brand-new nurse — still in training — was working 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.”

“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.

When asked if his parents credited this nurse with saving his life, Houpe said, “Yep, absolutely” — and he has come to believe the same.

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

Where he is today is married to his wife Tiffany for 12 years. They have two children, and Houpe has a good job as a school administrator and coach.

None of that surprises Wayne, who was so impressed by the will of that little boy that she named her own son after him. Likewise, Houpe was so impressed with Wayne’s compassion that 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.

After a five-minute standing ovation at her retirement sendoff, Houpe escorted Wayne out of the building. And although she is now retired as a nurse, Marco says she will always retain her other title: “You’re an angel. You’re an angel.”