A Legacy in Scrubs: Mother and daughter nurses carry generations of care in Odessa
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Mary Courtney didn't take the traditional path into nursing. At 41, with three school-aged kids at home, she made a life-altering decision: she was going back to school.
'I went back to nursing school at 41,' she said. 'The kids were school-aged, and I just decided it was time.'
It wasn't easy. To attend Odessa College's LVN program, Mary commuted from Monahans every weekday, carpooling with other students, studying into the night, and often waking at 2 a.m. to study some more before class. Then came the after-school routine: dinner, homework, bedtime, and back to the books.
'They thought I was crazy,' she laughed. 'But they helped me through it.'
That grueling year of sacrifice and commitment laid the foundation for a now 18-year career at Medical Center Hospital, where she serves as a charge nurse on the medical oncology unit. And today, just a few floors away, someone else is following in her footsteps, her daughter, Rachel Hamilton.
Rachel didn't start her career in healthcare. Right after high school, she earned a degree in education, heavily influenced by what her friends were doing at the time. But the classroom didn't feel like home. Life happened. And eventually, like her mother, she found herself pulled toward nursing.
'I really like the sciences, and I was heavily influenced by my mom,' she said. 'My sister is also an RN. My brother-in-law too. There's a lot of medical in our family.'
At 35, Rachel returned to school and earned a second bachelor's degree, this time in nursing. Though she occasionally wonders why she didn't do it sooner, she's found meaning in the path she chose.
'I wish I'd done it when I was younger,' Rachel said. 'But I think starting later brought a kind of clarity. It really made a big difference in how successful I've been.'
Now, the two women, one an experienced charge nurse, the other a newly minted RN, lean on each other both professionally and emotionally. 'We can vent to each other, talk it out,' Mary said. 'We pick each other's brains. It helps more than people might realize.'
'She saves me all the time,' Rachel added. 'I'm a super emotional person. When I have my moments, I call her. She talks me off the ledge.'
That closeness isn't just about shared shifts and similar schedules. It's about watching one another persevere. Rachel remembers what it was like seeing her mother go through nursing school while raising a family.
'She didn't sleep much,' Rachel said. 'We all thought she was a little bit cuckoo for going back. But she got through it. She showed us how to do hard things.'
And recently, that full-circle journey came with a moment of recognition.
Just a few months into her career, Rachel was named Medical Center Hospital's Daisy Award recipient for April. The award, given monthly to one nurse at the hospital, celebrates extraordinary compassion and care at the bedside.
Rachel had been caring for an older gentleman when his family submitted the nomination.
'He was just a really sweet, older gentleman,' she said. 'I didn't feel like I did anything special. I just tried to be friendly and let them know they were being cared for.'
But to his family, her presence was unforgettable.
'Rachel went well beyond everything,' the patient's daughter wrote. 'She had compassion for [my father] and why he was in the hospital. She listened to him. She would get down on his level and look him in his eyes. She communicated with him about everything she was doing to and for him.'
Another family member added, 'Rachel exudes an air of compassion and comfort. She seemed to embrace my husband and me as family.'
Even though Rachel felt unsure of her impact, the nomination reminded her that small, quiet moments matter.
'Just being thought of,' she said, 'it means so much.'
Mary wasn't surprised.
'She has a great heart, and she loves the people she takes care of every day,' she said, visibly proud. 'This just confirms what we already knew.'
For both women, nursing is more than a job. It's a way of living.
'Nursing is love,' Rachel said. 'It's a big warm hug when people need it most.'
Mary agrees. 'You never know what's going to happen in life,' she said. 'So love hard, care deeply, and be present. That's what matters most.'
Their family has now become what Rachel lovingly calls 'a medical dynasty,' with multiple nurses, a respiratory therapist, and a shared belief that care is both a skill and a calling.
From the long nights at the kitchen table to the hospital halls, they now walk side by side. Mary and Rachel's story is a reminder of what's possible when compassion is passed down, not just through lectures or lessons, but by living it out loud.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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