‘They saved our daughter’s life’: Family reunites with doctors who treated Aurora Thomas

MANSFIELD — Aurora Thomas was all smiles Monday when she saw the doctors who helped save her life.

The 1-year-old returned to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital with her parents, Emily and Morgan Thomas, to reunite with Dr. Martin Hanawalt and Dr. Jana Erner, the husband-and-wife physicians who cared for her during a nearly month-long hospitalization.

(Story continues below. The Thomas family reunited with Dr. Martin Hanawalt and Dr. Jana Erner on Sept. 7. Provided by OhioHealth.)

“Trying to keep my emotions in check was very hard,” Emily said. “I want them to know how much we appreciate both of them and how much they took care of her.”

Aurora was born Aug. 6, 2025, and spent several days in the special care nursery at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital because of oxygenation and glucose issues.

The family expected to take her home when Aurora developed a fever.

Hanawalt, a pediatric hospitalist and medical director with Nationwide Children’s Hospital who practices at OhioHealth Mansfield, knew a fever in a newborn required immediate attention.

“When a newborn develops a fever, you can’t blow that off, it’s kind of an all-or-nothing situation where you have to do a lot of testing, kind of all at once,” Hanawalt said.

A frightening night

Hanawalt did a spinal tap, collected blood and urine cultures and ran additional testing to find the source of Aurora’s fever.

The spinal fluid PCR test came back positive for E. coli. He said the blood cultures never really grew anything.

“It was clear that she most likely did have meningitis, which is an infection around the brain and spinal cord, which can be fatal,” Hanawalt said.

Emily said she knew how serious the diagnosis could be. She previously worked as a neuro ICU nurse and understood Aurora needed immediate treatment.

“Scared,” Emily said when asked how she felt after learning the diagnosis. “Scared to death.”

Hanawalt kept the family updated throughout the night. He performed the spinal tap and blood work in the middle of the night and woke Aurora’s parents several times with updates.

Doctors initially treated Aurora in Mansfield, but she needed better IV access and different antibiotics, Hanawalt said. He contacted Nationwide Children’s Hospital twice during the night to coordinate her transfer.

Doctors transferred Aurora to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus on Aug. 11.

Emily said the transfer was hard because they live close to the Mansfield hospital. Once Aurora arrived, she received care in the critical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before moving to another unit after she stabilized.

Erner, a neonatal hospitalist at Nationwide Children’s, and Hanawalt’s wife, became part of Aurora’s care there.

Emily said she did not know the connection until Erner asked her, “So, you’ve met my husband?”

Dr. Hanawalt and Dr. Erner, they saved our daughter’s life.

Emily Thomas, aurora thomas’ mom

“It happens more than you would think it does. I work on the step-down unit in the NICU, so a lot of the babies, when they’ve been critically ill, then come up to us for discharge, and we do 40 percent of the discharges for the NICU,” Erner said. “So I get to see a fair number of his patients.”

Having both physicians involved felt like a blessing, Emily said.

Three weeks of treatment

“She was very stable, but had to stay there for three long weeks, just to get those antibiotics,” Erner said.

Doctors placed a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line, which Erner described as a long IV that reaches to the top of the heart. The line allowed Aurora to receive antibiotics without repeated attempts to establish IV access.

Emily and Morgan stayed at Aurora’s side throughout the hospitalization. Erner said their support played an important role in Aurora’s recovery.

“They were positive,” Erner said. “They supported her so much, and I think that’s why she’s where she is today, because she has great parents.”

The family also received help from the Ronald McDonald House during Aurora’s stay. Emily said getting a room relieved one of the major stresses surrounding the hospitalization.

(Story continues below. Morgan and Emily, with their daughter, Aurora. Provided by OhioHealth.)

“When you’re postpartum, it’s a lot of anxiety, even depression behind it, but I had pretty severe postpartum anxiety, and adding the layer of having a baby in the NICU was really stressful,” Emily said.

When asked what she would say to herself if she could go back to the day Aurora was born, Emily said she would say to be more kind to herself.

“But I think it’s really important that we, as moms in general, take time to let people help us. Because if that helps us, that helps us be better moms,” Emily said.

Updates throughout her first year

After Aurora returned home, Emily continued sending monthly emails, photos and updates to the doctors and one of the nurses who cared for her at Nationwide.

Erner said hospital staff printed the updates and photos and put them on a bulletin board in a back hallway so others could see how Aurora was doing.

“We love to hear from them,” Erner said.

Emily wanted to give the doctors a chance to see the positive outcome because medical professionals do not always get to see what happens after patients leave their care.

Aurora has continued to meet her developmental milestones through follow-up with Nationwide Children’s early childhood development program.

“She’s doing amazing,” Emily said.

Aurora had her first cold last week, but Emily said it was the only sickness she has had since leaving the hospital.

Morgan said watching his daughter grow and reach her milestones has been the best thing he’s been able to see in his life.

Seeing Aurora again was a reminder of why Erner does her work.

“Oh, it’s amazing,” Erner said. “Her development looks perfect. She’s smiling and chatting, and that’s why we do what we do.”

E. coli meningitis remains rare, Hanawalt said. After more than 30 years in his field, seeing a child who has done so well after the diagnosis is especially rewarding.

“It just does my heart good,” Hanawalt said. “We always have to be the advocate for the kids and do the best you can.”

“Dr. Hanawalt and Dr. Erner, they saved our daughter’s life,” Emily said.

(Aurora during her first year. Provided by OhioHealth.)