Community Hospital of San Bernardino Nurse Spreads Kindness One Stitch at a Time

Diana Ellsworth put her nurturing skills to good use by pursuing her dream of a career in nursing, after spending nearly 20 years as a stay-at-home mother.

While attending San Bernardino Valley College’s Nursing School, Diana was accepted into a sponsorship program through Dignity Health – Community Hospital San Bernardino (CHSB) where she found her second home. Upon graduation, she wholeheartedly accepted a position at CHSB for two years.

“I was 52 when I finally became a nurse, and I’ve been here 11 years now,” says Diana, who is a telemetry RN. “I’ll stay here until I retire because I’m doing what I always wanted to do, helping people get better.”

Outside of work, Diana enjoys sewing – a skill she learned from her grandmother and has turned it into an act of human kindness for staff and patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Diana started making hats and face masks for co-workers out of scrubs that are no longer needed. Many offered to pay her, but she refused.

Soon, Diana’s kindness spread throughout the hospital, reaching children in Community Hospital’s Children’s Subacute Center. Over the past years, she’s sewn comforting gifts for them, including blankets with matching pillows for Christmas and stuffed animal dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Diana spent hours of her personal time sewing 80 stuffed animals and blankets for every child in our Pediatric Subacute Center,” recalls June Collison, CHSB Hospital President. “These stuffed animals brought the children joy and companionship during those times of isolation.”

“The kids live there, and if I can make something that can bring a smile to their faces and make them happy, that makes me feel good,” she says.