Mandy Searcy quietly saves lives during the COVID pandemic.
By Sondra Barr
Quiet heroes are toiling behind the scenes in times like these. As an unprecedented pandemic rages across the globe, the afflicted and their families are finding solace in the efforts of countless unsung medical professionals.
COVID has proven to be a test, beyond just that of negative or positive; it’s also a measure of the extent of human compassion, particularly when it comes to frontline healthcare workers, doctors, and nurses. And, while there’s no denying that the medical community has stepped up to the plate in the fight against COVID, there are extraordinary standouts whose passion to serve truly sets them apart.
As the patients of Bent Tree Family Physicians attest, certified medical assistant Mandy Searcy belongs in that rarefied group. The praise bestowed upon Searcy also comes from the medical professionals she works with daily.
“Quiet management of COVID behind the scenes is what this story is. Most of the COVID care and most of the people who are reassured––and many that were saved––was from Mandy’s direct intervention,” explains Dr. Guy Culpepper, founder of Bent Tree Family Physicians. With 16 providers and dozens of employees, Bent Tree’s legacy providing exceptional care is well documented in the area.
“To me, Mandy represents all those office nurses across the country who’re quietly saving lives,” says Culpepper, who’s been in family medicine for 33 years. For the past 18 years, he’s witnessed Mandy’s dedication to her job, which has only intensified in the face of COVID.
In early March of last year, when whisperings of a deadly virus rapidly evolved into full blown headline news, Culpepper and the staff at Bent Tree realized COVID would be an enormous local concern. At the time, some Bent Tree patients were already exhibiting signs that would soon be recognized as signature COVID symptoms.
“Mandy took testing on as her mantle,” explains Culpepper. Between the two of them, they researched COVID tests, including how to perform them, where to purchase them, and the labs best qualified to analyze the tests.
While some members of the Bent Tree team were understandably uneasy about swabbing patients for the test, Searcy was unfazed and volunteered to take on testing efforts.
“Those early weeks, we saw a lot of sick patients before we knew how serious it is,” says Searcy. “Some would be so sick they’d literally be laying in their back seat with their spouse driving them.”
“In the early days of testing, we had no PPE because we’re a family practice office. We just had surgical masks,” says Culpepper. Gloves were also in short supply.
The solution: “Mandy went to a farm goods store and bought elbow length gloves for birthing calves because they were the only gloves we could get,” continues Culpepper.
While they’ve since secured the proper PPE, in the early days of the pandemic, from the parking lot of Bent Tree’s Frisco office, you’d find Searcy testing people in all sorts of weather wearing gloves, a raincoat, surgical mask, hairnet, and goggles purchased from Lowe’s.
“I watched her go outside in 104 degrees, in the rain, in the cold, day in and day out, so that people could count on her,” says Culpepper. “That kind of energy early in a process is astounding and remarkable, but then the stamina to keep it up Saturdays and Sundays, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, that’s extraordinary.”
After being tested by Searcy, Randy Hayslip has this to say: “Mandy was very comforting and proactive, while exceeding my expectations for COVID care. She exhibited a professional charisma that promoted an understanding and care for the patient. Her responsiveness and instructions during the COVID test were as amazing as her follow up.”
At the end of each day, Searcy rushes samples to FedEx to get them overnight shipped to a lab. Meanwhile, her nights are spent calling patients with the results.
“You don’t get back a positive COVID and then just sit on it during the weekend and wait to call the patient back Monday like with high cholesterol,” says Culpepper.
Unlike most testing centers, Searcy doesn’t just call a person, confirm a positive result, and hang up. “Mandy has without doubt saved lives by listening to their breathing patterns on the phone and instructing which ones to go to the ER, which ones to come to the office for oxygen or chest x-rays, or we’re able to intervene early with steroids or antibiotics for secondary infections that wouldn’t have been treated,” says Culpepper.
“She is what I call a super nurse with Nordstrom-class customer service,” says Jill Kempa, whose 42-year-old son had COVID symptoms in March. “I called Dr. Culpepper’s office, talked to Mandy, and she said, ‘I have three tests left, I will save one for him.’”
Searcy called back Sunday at midnight to inform Kempa that her son tested positive. From there, Searcy called Kempa’s son daily for the next two weeks to monitor his breathing. The third week, she recommended he go to the emergency room for a chest x-ray that uncovered pneumonia. After he pulled through, Kempa went to Bent Tree to personally thank Searcy for saving her son’s life.
“She goes above and beyond for all her patients, not just my son,” exclaims Kempa.
This sentiment is echoed by numerous Bent Tree patients, including Denise Delashaw, who says, “Mandy is a selfless medical angel and is the most caring, authentic person I have ever met at any doctor’s office. She always goes above and beyond and actually checks up on you after any issue you may have. Love her! She was taking care of a huge line of patients in the 100-degree heat, dripping wet, and still had a smile on her face!”
Meanwhile, Debbie Brandenburg says, “Mandy is so caring and kindhearted to everyone. Since COVID, she has only worked harder and dedicated herself to helping us and others. She has put her own life on the line to serve others in testing for COVID and providing sincere empathy during very stressful times. Mandy is the prime example of putting others before self.”
More than 10,000 people have been tested by Searcy. Over 1,500 have tested positive. This has amounted to over 30,000 phone calls, including many that serve as stark reminders of the severity of the virus.
“One of our beloved patients was one of the first ones Mandy tested,” explains Culpepper. At the time test results were taking five days and while the patient was waiting on his positive test, Searcy insisted he go to the hospital after listening to his labored breathing and distinct cough. Two emergency rooms refused to admit him. The man, whose wife was also in a hospital suffering from COVID never got the chance to answer Searcy’s last text to confirm he was admitted. She found out later that he was intubated soon after and a week later he died in the ICU.
“I could have been the last person he talked to. It was heartbreaking,” says Searcy, who admits that getting praise is hard to accept for a job she feels called to do.
To schedule COVID or antibody testing at Bent Tree Family Physicians’ Frisco location at 3550 Parkwood Blvd, Ste 600, Frisco, Texas, visit www.benttreemd.com or call (972) 377-8800.
