Elkhart General emergency room RN touched by young patient’s thank you note

Dear Jonathon, Thank you for helping me feel better when I broke my arm.
I liked the popsicle and coloring stuff.
Jesus healed me!
God bless you. Your friend…

Jon Wohlford couldn’t believe the timing of a young patient’s note. It had been a tough day for the Elkhart General registered nurse and the rest of the Emergency Department team.

“It came at the perfect time, and it really brightened my spirits,” Wohlford says. “I walked around showing everybody. It was nice to see everyone smile.”

Wohlford, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, the airborne infantry division of the United States Army, equates the work he and other front line caregivers are performing on the front line during COVID to the front line of the military.

He does not hesitate to express sincere appreciation for those who surround him in the hospital.

Jon Wohlford, RN, has been working in the Elkhart General Emergency Department since April 2020.

“I work alongside some of the best nurses in the country,” Wohlford says. “It’s stressful, but I’ve got ‘my people’ by my side every step of the way. Ultimately, there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t walked out of here feeling as though we’ve overcome something great together.”

That’s one reason the note meant so much. But there’s another reason, too.

“I was about this child’s age when I was hospitalized with a nasty pneumonia and I still very much remember a Sue and a Jenny, both of whom were nurses who took care of me,” Wohlford says.

“The fact that I was able to bless a child warms my heart,” he continues. “I have six children myself and I would want a nurse to treat my child with the same level of love and care.”

The meaningful message printed by a young patient now has a special place in his home. A place where he can be reminded of what it means to care for and serve others.

“It’s framed at home and hanging above my desk,” he says. “I’ll forever treasure it.”