HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Growing up, Yvonne Ehrhart always wanted horses, and for the past year, she could be frequently be found on this Henry County farm.
"She comes out and moved hay bales for me. She cleans stalls," Lynn Sinclair explained.
But while she is an animal lover, caring for farm animals is not Yvonne's day job. The physical therapy assistant normally cares for people at Piedmont Henry Hospital.
That's where she first heard about Sinclair's situation.
"She was actually the patient of a co-worker," Ehrhart said, adding that the co-worker asked if she knew anyone who could help her out.
Sinclair had taken a serious fall off a ladder, but all she could think about was who would care for her beloved animals, Anna, the horse, and Tinkerbell, the hinny.
Then Ehrhart walked into her hospital room.
"She said, 'I think you need help with your animals,'" Sinclair recalled.
While Ehrhart had never been around horses, she visited the farm and decided she could handle the duties firsthand.
"She was a natural," Sinclair said. "In retrospect, as I look back on the past, it was like an angel came into my hospital room."
Ehrhart learned the basics and soon started pitching in, coming twice a day every weekend for months to help with Anna and Tink.
"From January of '21, even now, she's still helping me," Sinclair said.
Ehrhart said it was a simple decision.
"I really felt for her because I have animals and live alone," she explained. "And if something happened to me, I'd be in a similar situation."
A year later, Sinclair is now back on her feet and able to do most tasks independently, but that hasn't stopped Ehrhart from popping by to check on her friends and help.
"A friend of mine said to me, she's a precious gift," Sinclair said. "And that's the way I feel about her. She's a precious gift."
A gift of compassion and friendship that continues to grow. Ehrhart sums up the experience as a "fun year."
"I've made a friend, and I get to spend time with crazy mules, like this," she said with a laugh, as Tinkerbell gave her a nudge.