Angelique Sanderson
February 2022
Angelique
Sanderson
,
RN, BSN
Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
Albany Medical Center
Albany
,
NY
United States
Angelique advocated for me to be allowed to stay by his side and assist with his care and helped me get our adult children from out of town present to say their final goodbye to their dad.
How do you thank someone who so kindly, compassionately and competently provided nursing care to your husband in the last days of his life? I would like to share our experience with a wonderful nurse, Angelique Sanderson. I am a nurse myself with 46 years of nursing experience, 35 of those in nursing education.
My husband, K was admitted to D4 Oncology/Hematology at Albany Medical Center for a neutropenic fever secondary to his first round of chemotherapy for Myeloid Dysplastic Syndrome. We soon learned that his MDS has quickly progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia and he was quite ill. His level of nursing care was high and complex. They were treating the leukemia with chemotherapy, transfusing platelets and red blood cells almost daily, treating complications with multiple medications, and trying to prevent other complications with excellent nursing care and more medications. K was also a gentle giant, he was 6'4" and 300 pounds. There was nothing easy about his physical care as he became less able to care for himself.
Angelique took care of K for his final three days, including one exceptionally long 16-hour shift on one of those days. The nursing care she delivered exemplifies the art and science of nursing care. Angelique worked tirelessly to manage his complex nursing care, and to keep him comfortable, all while treating him with compassion, kindness, and dignity. There was nothing we asked for that was too little or too big. She was there to do it and always with a smile on her face. There were days I saw her go without a break or food. She never showed patients and families just how busy she was or let them see how stressful her day was. She was there for each of her patients and their family members.
Very quickly it became evident that my husband was not getting better and was in the last days of his life Angelique advocated for me to be allowed to stay by his side and assist with his care and helped me get our adult children from out of town present to say their final goodbye to their dad. How can you ever thank a nurse for giving you the time with your dying husband and dad? For caring for him as if he was their own family member? I am at a loss; there is no thank you or gift of any monetary value that could fill this. What I know for certain is that we must honor these nurses, which is why the family of Patrick Barnes developed The DAISY Award.
Angelique exemplifies what it means to be a caring and competent nurse and is exactly the nurse the Barnes family wishes to thank and honor. It is my honor and privilege to nominate Angelique Sanderson for this distinguished Award.
My husband, K was admitted to D4 Oncology/Hematology at Albany Medical Center for a neutropenic fever secondary to his first round of chemotherapy for Myeloid Dysplastic Syndrome. We soon learned that his MDS has quickly progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia and he was quite ill. His level of nursing care was high and complex. They were treating the leukemia with chemotherapy, transfusing platelets and red blood cells almost daily, treating complications with multiple medications, and trying to prevent other complications with excellent nursing care and more medications. K was also a gentle giant, he was 6'4" and 300 pounds. There was nothing easy about his physical care as he became less able to care for himself.
Angelique took care of K for his final three days, including one exceptionally long 16-hour shift on one of those days. The nursing care she delivered exemplifies the art and science of nursing care. Angelique worked tirelessly to manage his complex nursing care, and to keep him comfortable, all while treating him with compassion, kindness, and dignity. There was nothing we asked for that was too little or too big. She was there to do it and always with a smile on her face. There were days I saw her go without a break or food. She never showed patients and families just how busy she was or let them see how stressful her day was. She was there for each of her patients and their family members.
Very quickly it became evident that my husband was not getting better and was in the last days of his life Angelique advocated for me to be allowed to stay by his side and assist with his care and helped me get our adult children from out of town present to say their final goodbye to their dad. How can you ever thank a nurse for giving you the time with your dying husband and dad? For caring for him as if he was their own family member? I am at a loss; there is no thank you or gift of any monetary value that could fill this. What I know for certain is that we must honor these nurses, which is why the family of Patrick Barnes developed The DAISY Award.
Angelique exemplifies what it means to be a caring and competent nurse and is exactly the nurse the Barnes family wishes to thank and honor. It is my honor and privilege to nominate Angelique Sanderson for this distinguished Award.