Blessed, Not Lucky: Eugenie LaPlanche's Quiet Power at the Dialysis Chair

Eugenie LaPlanche, RN came to the United States at a young age and grew up in Queens/Westbury. She earned her LPN locally and later completed her RN at a college in Florida. Today she serves as a hemodialysis nurse—work she calls "simple," though its impact is anything but.

Her desire to care for others began at home. Her grandmother lived with hypertension and diabetes, then suffered a stroke. As a young caregiver, Eugenie learned the rhythms of compassion—small acts, done consistently, matter. That experience set her path: become a nurse so people in pain are never alone.

Years ago, while caring for a wealthy woman near the end of life, Eugenie received the words that guide her practice. Kindness outlives wealth. She repeats that lesson to herself on busy shifts: we don't know what each person is carrying; meet them with grace.

The past year tested her family. Her husband suffered a heart attack. Soon after, her son collapsed with a seizure and required a pacemaker. "When you help others, help finds you," she tells her children. She does not call herself lucky—she says she is blessed.

Eugenie prays each day for wisdom to do the right thing. She believes empathy and sympathy are her highest duties. In every chair and every shift, Eugenie proves that the most powerful medicine may be the kindness we choose—again and again.

Takeaway: Kindness is the care that remains when everything else falls away.