Elara Caring Branch Director Kindra Wilcox named March Nurse of the Month

By Kim Morava, The Shawnee News-Star | March 17, 2026

Kindra Wilcox has been named Nurse of the Month for March as part of a program sponsored by The Shawnee News-Star and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Wilcox, RN, BSN, MBA, has been a nurse for 18 years, and is currently the Elara Caring Hospice director. A series of life events were a factor leading to her career.

“I never imagined that one day I would become a nurse. For a long time, I simply thought of myself as someone who loved and cared deeply for the people around me. But life has a way of placing you exactly where you’re meant to be, sometimes through moments that are both heartbreaking and profound,” she said.

Wilcox shared a tragic family experience that impacted her life and her decision to become a nurse.

“Several years ago, my nieces were involved in a terrible car accident. It’s still difficult to talk about because that day changed our family forever,” she said. “The accident left several of the girls with significant injuries, and tragically, we lost one sweet girl. I think of her every single day. Her memory stays with me in quiet moments, reminding me how precious and fragile life truly is.”

While the other girls were in the hospital, Wilcox traveled to be with them as often as she could.

“I spent several days by their sides, watching over them, comforting them, and helping however I could. During that time, I also watched the nurses caring for them. I remember being amazed at the compassion and patience they showed. They weren’t just giving medications or checking vital signs—they were offering reassurance, kindness, and strength to scared children and a hurting family,” she said. “One day stands out clearly in my mind. I was helping one of the girls to the restroom when a nurse walked in and asked me, ‘Are you a nurse?’ I told her I wasn’t. But in that exact moment, something inside me clicked. Standing there, helping someone I loved and witnessing the care surrounding us, I realized that was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be that person for someone else in their hardest moments.”

Looking back, Wilcox said she thinks the path toward nursing had been quietly forming in her heart long before that day.

“In my later teen years, I helped care for my grandmother while she was on hospice. Those were tender and emotional days, but they were also deeply meaningful. I remember watching her hospice nurse closely. The way she spoke to my grandmother, the gentleness in her hands, and the respect and dignity she showed her during such a vulnerable time left a lasting impression on me,” Wilcox said. “She didn’t just care for my grandmother’s medical needs—she cared for her as a person. She cared for our whole family. There was something so powerful about the peace and comfort she brought into that room.”

All of those experiences had a profound impact on her and a true calling to the nursing profession.

“When I look back now, I realize those experiences shaped my heart for this calling. Losing my niece taught me how precious every moment is. Watching nurses care for my injured nieces showed me the impact compassion can have during crisis. And witnessing the tender care my grandmother received on hospice showed me the beauty of helping someone through the final chapter of life,” Wilcox said. “Those moments didn’t just inspire me—they guided me. They led me to hospice nursing, where I feel I can offer the same compassion, dignity, and comfort that meant so much to my family.”

Wilcox said she became a nurse not just to treat patients, but to be present with people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

“To hold a hand, to listen, to comfort, and to care the way others once cared for the people I love. And every day I do this work, I carry their memories with me,” she said.

Wilcox attended Dale High School and then State State College for her RN, and SWOSU for her BSN and Capella for her MBA in healthcare administration.

Wilcox find many rewards in her position, she said, including, “leading my team and away they’re able to fill the impact of what hospice really means and what they’re doing for each patient.”

In her free time, Wilcox loves coaching softball and basketball. She and her husband have been married for 25 years, and she has three children, two extra nieces and a nephew, along with four grandchildren.