Nurse.org: He Had 100 Surgeries as a Kid - Now He's a Nurse Helping Patients at the Same Hospital
By Chaunie Brusie
Not every nurse can say they know what it's like to be a patient on the floor where they now work, but Caleb Wolf certainly can. Diagnosed at just two years old with Chiari malformations and pseudotumor cerebri, conditions that caused serious pain, seizures, cognitive issues, and vision problems, Wolf would go on to have more than 100 surgeries and treatments at Children’s Mercy Kansas City hospital in Missouri.
Wolf faced enormous challenges throughout his long-term stays as a pediatric patient, but fought, not just for himself, but for other patients like him who were forced to spend their holidays in the hospital. He founded a non-profit that gifted kids with holiday and other special gifts during their hospital stays, and then later, as an adult, he found the ultimate way to give back:
He became a nurse himself and now works as a staff RN at the same hospital where he practically grew up.
A Rare Beacon of Hope
Wolf tells Nurse.org that his favorite part about his work now as an RN on the pediatric orthopedics floor is seeing the hope and connection that just his presence can offer patients and families. His specific medical condition means that he is an adult who lives with a permanent brain shunt, a medical device that Wolf explains is a rarity.
Read the full article via Nurse.org