4 generations of health care: Mom-and-daughter duo continue family legacy
As we approach Mother's Day and celebrate National Nurses Day, FOX 11 is recognizing a mother-and-daughter duo who is carrying on a health care legacy.
"We were hoping the day would come that we both could be here together," said Daneen Larecy.
Larecy and her 23-year-old daughter Madisyn are both living the dream the two had always hoped for, or one could argue were destined for. The daughter, a registered nurse at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and mom being a licensed clinical social worker in the emergency room.
"I've been here for 21 years," Daneen said.
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The two have worked in the same South Bay hospital since last summer when Madisyn graduated nursing school.
Madisyn kicked off her career in the midst of the pandemic.
"My unit was actually a [COVID-19] unit," Madisyn explained.
The most difficult part of her journey, however, was that Madisyn had just lost her grandmother, Daneen's mother, to COVID-19. Toni Exely was a lifelong nurse, an inspiration for both Daneen and Madisyn to get into the business of helping others.
"Exactly two months after she passed is when I started my job here at Torrance," Madisyn said.
"The goal was for Maddie and my mom to work together, Maddie was going to live with my mom to talk about the old way of nursing vs. new ways of nursing," Daneen said. "It didn't work out that way but that was our plan."
Daneen's late grandmother Ruth (Madisyn's great-grandmother) started the family legacy.
"My mother, my grandmother and myself all worked at Providence of San Pedro at one point, which was really neat," Daneen said. "All of us together."
While it's just the mom and the daughter at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, that's more than enough for the family, especially knowing that Madisyn is carrying on Grandma Toni's nursing legacy.
"I think she'd be really excited," Madisyn said.
"She's definitely watching over," Daneen said.