It’s been a wild and rewarding ride for Pat Lee as a nurse the past 40 years. Not only did she have the opportunity to take part in a revolutionary new surgery, but she also experienced a pandemic.

In 1988, she was a member of the team that performed St. Paul University Hospital’s first successful heart transplant. She still gets goosebumps thinking of the excitement and anticipation, which seemed to permeate the former UT Southwestern hospital.

It was also during the 1980s when she met a celebrity while working. Actor John Travolta had come to St. Paul to visit a sick friend. He spoke with the nurses, danced a bit for them – even joined them for a bite to eat.

“It touched my heart that he flew in to see his co-star. He visited during the night shift so he wouldn’t attract attention and interrupt our workflow. The next day we were on a meal break, and he just sat down to join us,” remembers Mrs. Lee.

Not all days are as exciting, however. Working in ICU can be both rewarding and challenging, she says. One of her strengths is to help families with the grieving process. Simple gestures like getting water, helping to make phone calls, and just sitting with them can make a difference.

“Nurses step in to comfort people before the chaplain gets there. Especially during COVID-19, I feel passionate about this, and I’m glad I’m able to be there for the family,” she says.

Growing up in Malaysia in the 1970s, Mrs. Lee always dreamed of studying overseas and becoming a nurse. Luckily, one of her 11 siblings was living in Arlington, Texas, so she took the opportunity to join her brother and attend the College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She began her UT Southwestern career in 1980 at St. Paul.

“When I was in nursing school, I wanted to take care of seriously ill patients. I joined the cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU), later moved to medical ICU, and finally surgical,” Mrs. Lee says.

Mrs. Lee reflected on the past year, including coping with the pandemic and moving forward. “We’ve all leaned on each other. It’s been a tough and tiring year that has brought us closer as a team. When we look back, COVID-19 will be history that’s imprinted in our minds and in our hearts,” she says.

The favorite part of her job, she says, is making a difference in a patient’s recovery.

 “I once received a letter from a patient who said that I saved her life when she had decided to give up. She thanked me for being constantly by her side with encouragement and support,” Mrs. Lee says.

Now close to retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with her two children and two grandchildren in New York City. She also has some adventuresome travel plans. Having already traveled to Asia and Europe, she’s aiming for two nearly polar opposite trips: Iceland and Australia.

However, not all of her retirement goals are exotic destinations. Mrs. Lee hopes to see the pandemic come to an end.

“That would be the best retirement present I can imagine – to see us get COVID-19 under control,” she says.