See the update at the bottom of the story for a link to Gary and Kathy's reunion.

Gary Bentley has found his nurse.

He and his wife Gwen launched a search Wednesday on Facebook for a UAB Hospital nurse who took care of Gary in 1973, when Gary was a 10-year-old from a rough background recovering from open-heart surgery.

"For some reason, she was really sweet to me, and I looked forward to her coming in every day," Gary told AL.com yesterday. "I've always wondered what happened to her, and wondered why she was so nice to me."

Thanks to the Internet, Gary has found the nurse who showed him kindness more than 40 years ago.

As he suspected, her name is Kathy, and she is still a nurse.

"I know the nurse in the picture and she is my mom!" Kathy's daughter, Heather, e-mailed to Gary Thursday evening. "You are right, her name is Kathy!! I just read her this article and she is so touched that she was remembered so fondly by you!"

In a comment on our story yesterday, another daughter of Kathy's, Katie, wrote that "She still tends to cardiology patients, though the outfit has changed a little."

"My mom discovered the article late last night and it brought tears to her eyes," Katie wrote. "She said, 'I didn't know about Gary's situation, I just saw a little boy going through a surgery that would be tough for anyone.' But, that is just the kind of nurse/person she is - always going beyond the call of duty to make someone else's day better!

"My brother, sister and I also work in healthcare and we strive to live up to the high bar set by our role model/mother. I can remember her saying, 'a patient is already probably having one of their worst days, no one likes being sick, so its important to treat beyond medicine - with kindness.'"

Gary and Kathy (through Kathy's daughter) are e-mailing back and forth.

He thanked her initially in an e-mail that brought tears to his eyes:

"Your mother was very sweet to me many years ago," Gary Bentley wrote. "It was a tough time in my life for many reasons. I have never forgotten her kindness and just wanted to let her know how much it meant to me. After they moved me back to another floor I cried wanting to go back to see her. Back in those days there was no [Facebook], no texting. She has always held a special place in my heart. I have never forgotten her kindness and I never will. I know it was many years ago, but I have thought about her many times over the years and wondered how she was doing."

"I would love to see and talk to her if she has time," he wrote. "Please tell her I don't want anything, I don't need anything. I just wanted to thank her for being such a sweet person."

"To be honest I have tears in my eyes typing this and thinking about her kindness."

He and Kathy plan to meet this weekend, he told AL.com.

Read yesterday's story about Gary Bentley's search, and learn more about his background here.

UPDATE: Here's the story of Kathy and Gary's reunion on Sunday.

This story initially said Kathy's daughter Heather wrote in the comments as 'Proud Daughter,' but that was another daughter, Katie. The story has been updated to reflect that.