Ms Wilkins has also met and treated celebrities in her time at the hospital – including Chris Kamara, who visits Pinderfields every Christmas, she said.
“I met Davy Jones from The Monkees. I looked after him. He fell off a horse at Pontefract Racecourse and broke his leg,” she said.
“I was probably maybe 20 at the time. I’ll never forget that. I loved The Monkees.”
In her retirement, Ms Wilkins said she hoped to do more baking and spend more time on holiday with her partner, who recently retired after 21 years as a milkman.
“We have a caravan just on the edge of the North York Moors. We’re hoping for a fabulous summer like we had this year so that we can go and spend as much time as we can in it,” she said.
“We’ve got two little dogs, two little miniature dachshunds. Even though they’ve got little legs, they do like to walk.
“And I’ve got a sourdough obsession. So I’ll be able to put a little bit more time into that because it’s a really technical thing sourdough baking.
“She’s in the fridge at the minute because she’s resting and she’s waiting for me to stop wrapping Christmas presents up and then I can start.”
But first she has booked a trip to Asia with a friend. The pair will be flying to Hong Kong on New Year’s Day before taking a cruise around Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Bali.
“I’m one of those people, I just get on with it and I’ve always embraced change,” she said.
“Just go and do the best that you can, that’s what I always say.”