A Work Family That Shows Up

When a medical emergency struck, a Duke employee found comfort in the kindness of a colleague who stayed by her side

Two Duke colleagues
When Sandra Elliot, left, faced a medical emergency, her colleague, Sharon Wright, helped her get treatment. Photo courtesy of Sandra Elliot and Sharon Wright.

Sandra Elliot has long cherished her friendly and genuine colleagues at the clinics of North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat (NCEENT).

For the past five years, Elliot has been a Financial Care Coordinator at NCEENT, part of the Duke Health Integrated Practice system. She enjoys how coworkers share stories about their lives and celebrate holidays, birthdays and major life events with office potlucks. To Elliot, her colleagues in various offices feel like a family.

On January 16, 2025, while working at NCEENT’s Cary clinic, those bonds helped Elliot through a medical emergency as Sharon Wright, a Certified Opthalmic Medical Technologist, accompanied Elliot on her drive to Duke University Hospital’s Emergency Department to receive care.

Shout Out Your Colleagues

Sharon Wright's selfless gesture was praised in a post on the Making a Difference blog. If you have a coworker that deserves recognition for going above and beyond the expectations of their job, check out the blog and share their story.

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“I didn’t know somebody would go that far out of their way to do anything like that for me,” Elliot said. “She did not have to do that, she did it out of the goodness of her heart.”

Three years ago, Elliot had surgery on her neck. It wasn’t easy as she dealt with an infection that required an additional procedure a few months later. She figured she was well beyond any remaining complications. But on that January day, she noticed fluid leaking from her old surgical site. As her coworkers in the Cary office gathered gauze and tended to the area, she felt dazed.

“I came up to the front desk and I could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong,” Wright said.  “She looked like she was in shock. I could tell she was really scared.”

Elliot realized quickly she needed to go to an emergency room. She also knew that Duke University Hospital was where she wanted to seek treatment. But at around 4 p.m. on a weekday, the 26-mile drive to Duke University Hospital would require navigating rush-hour traffic. Elliot, who is used to long commutes, said she felt up to it. But her colleagues felt that she should have some help.

Sharon Wright, right, said she didn't give a second thought to helping her colleague, Sandra Elliot, left, who she said brings a bubbly, positive energy to each work day. Photo courtesy of Sandra Elliot and Sharon Wright.

After a quick breakroom huddle with team members of the Cary clinic, Wright made the decision to follow Elliot on the drive.

“We didn’t want to worry about anything happening to her on the drive,” Wright said.

So, as Elliot drove herself to the hospital, Wright followed in her car. Elliot said that seeing Wright’s silver Hyundai in her rear view gave her comfort during the roughly 45-minute trip.

Once they reached the entrance to the Duke University Hospital Emergency Department, Wright waited a few minutes until Elliot’s daughter, Cassandra, arrived and she would no longer be alone.

“I just feel like Sandra would have done the same thing for any of us,” Wright said.

After getting home to Holly Springs just before 7 p.m. that day, Wright got updates from Elliot’s daughter on her status. Elliot eventually required another surgical procedure followed by a round of medication to beat the infection.

A few days after Elliot was admitted to the hospital, Wright paid a visit.

“Every time a nurse came in to check her vitals, she was calling them ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart’ and just had a nice smile on her face,” said Wright, who has worked at NCEENT since 2013. “That’s the same way she is at work. She is such a sweet lady.”

Elliot spent a little over a week in the hospital and returned to work in February. It took a few days before Wright and Elliot, who both rotate between NCEENT’s Chapel Hill, North Durham and Cary locations, to cross paths. Once they did, Elliot greeted Wright with a big hug.

“What Sharon did was above and beyond,” Elliot said. “To do what she did meant a lot. I always say that where we work, it feels like a family. She did what a family member does. That’s the way it made me feel.”

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