Sisters provide comfort to Elkhart patients

When Valerie Johnson was a little girl, she wanted to volunteer as a candy striper and assist the nurses at a hospital.

But it was not until after she retired, and had time to commit to volunteering, that she inquired about candy striping at Elkhart General Hospital.

But that program has evolved into volunteer services.

“I wanted to push the candy and magazine cart around to all the patients, but that volunteer service didn’t exist,” Valerie says. “So instead, I started volunteering in the surgery family lounge.”

There are so many special moments our volunteers share with patients and their families. But one stands out for Valerie. She explains…

“The moment that stands out the most for me was a family that came to the surgery lounge for the husband’s surgery,” she recalls. “His wife and son were in the waiting room and the wife was so very nervous right from the beginning. I kept talking to them to calm her fears.”

After the surgeon came out and finished speaking to her after the surgery, the woman started crying.

“I went to her and asked if I could help her, or pray for her. She said yes, so I did,” Valerie says. “My volunteer shift ended at 4 p.m., but I stayed with her under after 5. Later, she and her son came back to thank me and she hugged me. It really made my day that I was able to provide comfort when it was needed.”

Valerie’s sister, Dorothy Simon, also volunteers at Elkhart General in the Breast Care Center.

“I came in to the Breast Care Center for a mammogram and saw the volunteer helping everyone,” Dorothy recalls.. “I thought it looked exciting, helping so many women. So after I retired, I decided to start volunteering.”

Sometimes patients come in for routine screenings, and sometimes they are there because of a concern.

“One time a patient came in very upset, and while she was waiting in the waiting area, she asked me to pray for her. I prayed for her and stayed there with her,” Dorothy says. “She got her results a little while later and her test was negative, so everything was good. She was so happy she hugged me and thanked me.”