Reader-submitted letters marked nurses week by thanking Karen Colby, RN, at MaineHealth Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in South Portland and the MaineGeneral Cardiac Rehabilitation Team in Augusta. The letters were published under the title “Thank a Nurse 2026: Reader submitted letters.”
Karen Colby in South Portland
One letter came from Colby’s partner, who wrote, “Karen is an amazing person.” The letter said, “As an empty nester, she went back to school and earned her nursing license.” It added, “During the pandemic, she provided care to dialysis patients.”
Colby’s first year as a nurse was 2020. Her work later shifted to orthopedic patients at MaineHealth Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, giving the letter a clear arc from dialysis care during the pandemic to current specialty care in South Portland.
MaineGeneral Cardiac Rehabilitation Team
A separate letter thanked the MaineGeneral Cardiac Rehabilitation Team at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. The writer called it “A National Nurses Week “thank you” to the nurses at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at MaineGeneral’s Alfond Center for Health in Augusta.”
The letter described a program built around intake and evaluation, structured rehab sessions three times a week, and a voluntary Phase III follow-up program. It said the team serves patients at MaineGeneral’s Alfond Center for Health and creates “a nonjudgmental, noncompetitive atmosphere” while providing “support, encouragement and reassurance.”
The same letter said the team offers “continued support, encouragement and motivation over the long term (sometimes literally for years),” along with “a relaxed, socially open environment.” For patients moving through rehabilitation, the letters show nurses being recognized not just for clinical care, but for the routines and tone that keep people engaged long after the first appointment.
