A Legacy of Loyalty, Care
A Monthly Feature by JESSICA MONTEZ
Belota Went from
Nursing School to
La Grange Family
Health and Stayed
There 45 Years
A nurse’s legacy is not only defined by the care they provide, but by the lives they touch, the hope they inspire, and the countless stories they share with colleagues and patients. For licensed vocational nurse Brenda Belota, after 45 years at La Grange Family Health Center, she has chosen to close the chapter on her nursing legacy.
La Grange Family Health would like you to join them in celebrating Belota’s 45 years of dedicated service. The retirement celebration will take place on Sunday, February 23, from 2 - 4 p.m. at Frisch Auf! Valley Country Club in La Grange.
Belota began working at La Grange Family Health in 1980 when she was first out of nursing school at age 19. “Over the decades, there have been so many changes in medicine and within our clinic. We went from a single-owner practice and clinic to now a four-owner, multiple-provider clinic serving Fayette and Lee Counties,” said Belota. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many doctors, nurse practitioners, PAs, nurses, and front staff over my years. I am so proud to have been a part of these clinics.”
Dawn Blackwell, the La Grange Family Health’s chief financial officer, shares one of her favorite stories about Brenda. “One of my favorite memories of Brenda going above and beyond involves my daughter, Natalie, who is now 22. When we moved here, she was just four years old and terrified of getting shots. She would scream and hide behind chairs, but the only person she would let give her shots was Brenda.
Fast forward 12 years, and Natalie needed a flu shot but was too busy with her high school activities to make it to the clinic. Brenda went to the high school parking lot during lunch and gave her the flu shot right there. Currently, the nurses are drawing straws to see who will take Brenda’s place as Natalie’s designated shot-giver because she still insists on having Brenda. Brenda is irreplaceable and truly a lifelong employee.”
To many residents in Fayette County, she has been a dedicated and compassionate nurse, but Matthew and Michael Belota, call her mom and a saint, “I feel like my mom is a living saint. She has taken care of more people in the community than anyone can count. And it brings me pride when people stop me and brag about how well she took care of them. She’s truly a blessing not just in my life but for all of the patients she has served in her 45 years,” said Matthew.
As Belota prepares for retirement, the transition feels bittersweet. Sadly, on February 6, the Belota family lost its patriarch and the love of Belota’s life, Gilbert. While she had once imagined retirement as a time for the two of them to enjoy together, she now faces this new chapter without him.
“It’s only the beginning of a new phase in life that I have to look forward to,” said Belota. “Nursing wasn’t just a job for me. It was a commitment to my patients to be there for them in their most vulnerable moments, to offer comfort, care, and often just a listening ear. The completion of a satisfying work career is not the end.”
And though she is ready for retirement, she knows one thing for certain—her heart will always belong to La Grange Family Health and the patients she had the honor and privilege to take care of.