Little Elliott Foss’ stressful arrival into this world led to a surprise reunion for her father and a security officer who changed his life decades earlier.
Elliott was born on Aug. 12, 2023, in Tomah, Wis., and, due to an air pocket in her chest cavity pushing against her lung, was rushed to Gundersen Health System’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
As scary as this was, Elliott’s dad, Cherokee, wasn’t a stranger to Gundersen. At just three years old, he was diagnosed with leukemia and spent five-and-a-half years in and out of the hospital receiving treatment.
While Cherokee has tried to forget most of that time, there was one memory that has remained with him still now, more than 20 years later. A security officer named Jon Speltz.
‘When I was with Jon, I was happy’
“I remember the first day we met Jon,” Cherokee’s dad Heath Foss says. “Cherokee was hooked up to an IV pole and I was pulling him in a wagon. Jon smiled and waved at us. From then on, every time we went for a walk, we had to stop by and see Jon.”
Cherokee, now 27, says, “He used to take me and my dad to see the ambulance bay and medical helicopter. He took us to places that would help me forget I was in the hospital. When I was with Jon, it didn’t matter what we were doing, I was happy.”
An emotional reunion at Gundersen
When Cherokee walked past the security office in August, he stopped to ask about Jon. Jon – who happened to be working that day – remembered Cherokee immediately.
And right then and there, the two tearfully reunited.
“He beelined over to me and gave me a bear hug,” Cherokee says.
“I’m fortunate to work in a place like Gundersen,” Jon says. “I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet people like Cherokee that you wouldn’t meet anywhere else.”
Before Jon joined the security team at Gundersen, he worked in law enforcement and then later as a licensed private detective. Each time Cherokee would pass by as a kid, Jon would hand him a patch that he’d earned in the line of duty. Cherokee’s stack of patches grew to more than 30.
“Jon influenced Cherokee deeply. He helped shape him,” says Heath. “He helped Cherokee become a more genuine person.”
Through Jon’s own health struggle, he received a surprising gift
In 2017, Jon had his own health struggle; he battled a staph infection and sepsis. He was hospitalized for 18 days and recovered at home for three months. He said during his hospital stay, his night nurse, Andrea, would sit with him.
“I would say, ‘I don’t think I can do this. This is just too hard,’” Jon says. “And Andrea would tell me, ‘You’ll get through this.’”
When Jon was getting ready to leave the hospital, Andrea shared that five years earlier, he’d been there for her and her daughter in a moment of need – just like he was for Cherokee. Andrea’s daughter, who has autism, was having a hard day after a long appointment. The two stepped into a stairwell where Andrea broke down, unsure if she had the strength to continue. Jon followed them in, sat with them and encouraged Andrea.
“When Andrea revealed that story to me, we were both crying. She shared that her daughter is talking about going to college and renting her own apartment – when, five years ago, that didn’t seem possible,” Jon says.
‘I think this is where I needed to be’
Meanwhile, Cherokee’s daughter Elliott was able to go home after just a few days in the NICU. Now the family of four – Elliott has an older sister, four-year-old Marley – are grateful to be together. Cherokee plans to return the stack of patches to Jon so he can help another child who needs hope.
When he reflects on leaving law enforcement and joining Gundersen’s security team, Jon says, “I think this is where I needed to be.” He adds, “Not every day is going to be good or easy, but it’s what you make of the day that counts.”