Anna Maria Medrano, RN, is a night shift nurse in the medical surgery unit at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital. Medrano has been with the ministry for almost three years.
“When I was younger my mom was very sick,” Medrano says. “I watched her go through so much, and I wanted to care for others like she had been cared for. She was admitted to Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge for almost two years.”
Her mother still remembers the nurses’ names.
“They made a wonderful impression on her,” she says. “She was all alone there because we lived in Bogalusa and could only visit on weekends. She remembers a nurse named Kathleen who would take her downstairs to get yogurt. She would wash her hair and put makeup on her. She brought inspirational things to set on her bedside table.”
Medrano chose a career in healthcare because of her mom’s journey and now works in the same healthcare ministry that cared for her.
Medrano says, “I’m very honored to be able to contribute, however small, to help people and make a difference in their lives.”
Having Pride in Your Culture and Heritage
Medrano’s dad is from a little town in Central Mexico called Delores Hidalgo. Her dad has been in the U.S. since 1987, and Medrano was born in the U.S.
It’s very important to Medrano and her household to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month because they are very proud of their heritage.
“We’re very family oriented,” she says. “We take care of each other, and Hispanic Heritage Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate those things every year.”
Medrano’s favorite family tradition is Christmas Eve.
“Every Christmas Eve we would always wrap my little sister’s gifts together and watch the midnight Mass broadcast from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome,” she says.
When she was younger her dad would bring them candy and cookies from Mexico. She loves nopales, which is grilled and sliced cactus with onions and tomato. From the prickly pear cactus, it’s similar to okra. “But once you get past the sliminess, it tastes really good,” she says. It’s a staple in Mexico with lots of health benefits.
Medrano’s Nopales Recipe
- 2 cups grilled nopales
- 1 cup Roma Tomate, diced
- 1 large Jalapeño or serrano pepper, sliced thinly, optional
- ½ cup red onion, sliced
- 1 Avocado, diced
- A handful cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup Queso panela, queso fresco or feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
Dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon
- agave nectar
Our DEI Commitment
Our ministry’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion supports culturally competent care education for our team members all year long, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month each September.
