OGDEN – Twenty-six years ago, Kathy Field helped a women who had given birth in the front seat of her husband’s truck in the parking lot at Ogden Regional Medical Center.

Last summer, as she was helping a young woman with the delivery of her baby, the woman mentioned that she was born in the front seat of her father’s truck in the hospital parking lot.

“I said, ‘I was there. I remember that,” Field said. “It was really funny to find out that it was her 26 years later.”

Field has worked as a labor and delivery nurse for 40 years. Over that time, she has helped deliver over 20,000 babies at Ogden Regional Medical Center.

“We did some quick math and figured I help with 10 to 12 babies a week,” she said. “Fifty weeks a year times 12 is 600 babies times 40 years, so it’s easy to say that I’ve helped deliver more than 20,000 babies.”

Her work has not gone unnoticed. She was recently presented with the DAISY award for Extraordinary Nurses, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The award was founded by the family of a 33-year-old cancer patient who succumbed to the disease. They wanted to recognize the incredible care the nurses provided.

Field was nominated for helping with a surrogate birth for a same-sex couple. She said the moment she saw the two parents, she fell in love with them.

“It was such a special moment,” Field said.

Hope Rippon, an Ogden Regional Medical Center nurse manager, said Field is the most genuine human being you will ever encounter.

“She would literally give you the shirt off her back,” Rippon said. “We have been so incredibly lucky to have her here at Ogden Regional for the last 40 years. She has built a legacy of support for each other because we are a sisterhood and that culture positively impacts our patient’s care. She treats everyone as if they were her own sister. We love Kathy.”

Field is honored to have received the award and recognition.

“I’ll tell you that I’ve never had anything like this in my entire life,” she said. “It’s beyond a big deal for me. I don’t feel like I deserve it. I don’t do anything different from what my fellow colleagues do, but I am so honored to be recognized. At the awards ceremonies I cried like a baby.”

Field said she always wanted to be a nurse. She worked the graveyard shift at the hospital nursery while putting herself through nursing school. After seeing a baby delivered, she knew she never wanted to leave.

“I know it sounds like a cliché, but I really do love people,” she said. “I love helping people. I think it goes back to when I was caring for my grandmother after she had a stroke.”

Field said her career has been incredible and fulfilling and added that it is worth all the hard work if anyone is considering the field.

“You will get to be part of a life-changing amazing event,” she said. “You will love it.”

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