A few weeks ago, I had to bring my brother to the emergency room for hypertension, and it was the scariest. All the staff were amazing, but the real hero was their charge nurse, Mandy Sanders—the glue that holds the whole department together. Was Mandy my brother’s nurse that day? No, she wasn’t, but she was a big part of it, and whoever reads this will hear this amazing lady’s story from me now that we were actually patients.

I’ve worked with Mandy Sanders before, but now I see it from the patient side. This nurse is a unicorn. The smartest, hardest working, most compassionate, bubbliest, funniest, and overall the best nurse and person you will ever meet! She is respected by all staff. That includes doctors, nurses, techs, and anyone else who walks through those ED doors. She makes people feel welcome. She hears your story, so it’s only fair for y’all to hear hers: During chaos, she is the biggest leader.

This nurse has walked in on 25+ boarders and 20+ patients in the waiting room and still manages to secure rooms for those boarders, moving the ED patients through efficiently. This nurse has pulled more unresponsive patients out of cars than you can imagine. She is always there, every step of the way, with the biggest smile on her face, regardless of the outcome. Mandy is more than a nurse. She's God's gift to St. Tammany Parish Hospital. Without her, I honestly don’t know how that emergency room would function. Mandy Sanders is the most deserving of this award, and not because “she brought me ice chips or a blanket,” which she will also do even if the ER is busier than ever. And she’ll do it with a smile!