Nurse dies of COVID in same hospital where she worked for 43 years, Alabama officials say
Betty Grier Gallaher was a “nurse’s nurse” who spent more than four decades caring for patients and staff at the Coosa Valley Medical Center in Alabama, according to her co-workers.
They say she was more than an emergency room nurse; Gallaher was a friend, confidante and “work mom” who made sure everyone on her shift was fed. Their “parent” became a patient, however, when Gallaher contracted COVID-19 in December.
She died from the virus Jan. 10 in the very same hospital where she had spent much of her time caring for others, CNN reported. She was one day shy of her 79th birthday.
“She embodied our charge to care for patients’ mind, body and spirit,” chief nursing officer Amy Price said of Gallaher in a statement posted online. “She was always gentle and cared deeply for her patients. We mourn her loss and celebrate her life.”
Gallaher had put in more than 43 years at the hospital in Sylacauga, about 45 miles southeast of Birmingham, according to Price. She said Gallaher spent her time encouraging others and “always had a smile on her face.”
“She was truly a home-grown nurse,” Price said in the online statement.
Gallaher also served as a mentor to younger nurses, some of whom urged her to stay home when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, according to CNN. The 78-year-old sat out for a day or two but was back at work caring for patients until the virus sidelined her late last year.
“She didn’t do it to stand out,” her son Carson Grier Jr., told the outlet. “She did it because this is who she was — this is her calling. She wanted to get back to the everyday grind of the emergency room.”
Fellow ER nurse and supervisor Nikki Jo Hatten said Gallaher “couldn’t stand” not coming to work because she cared that much, according to CNN.
Even in her final days, colleagues say Gallaher was fulfilling her role as the ER’s matriarch. On New Year’s Day, while still in the ICU, she texted fellow nurse Chuck Terrell to order pizza for the entire staff — on her, WVTM reported.
“Even in that situation, she was thinking about other people and her co-workers,” Terrell said, according to the news station. “She was just a true hero, and it was a privilege to work with her. She will definitely be missed.”
Gallaher is survived by her two sons, Carson Grier Jr. and Steve Grier, two sisters, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren, according to an online obituary. She also leaves behind a significant other.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 12:06 PM.