Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, March 1,2023
Fayette County News A3
Jenkins Receives ‘Advanced Practice Provider of The Year’ Award
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
FAYETTE — In a county
that thrives on public health
and information that allows
citizens to remain well-in
formed and safe, it comes as
no surprise that Fayette
Piedmont has proven itself
to be a prime staple for pro
viding healthcare within the
community.
Recently, one of Pied
mont’s own and Fayette
County resident Brandy Jen
kins was voted by her peers
to receive the “Advanced
Practice Provider of The
Year” award for Piedmont
QuickCare.
Her passions motivated
her at a young age to pursue
nursing and healthcare as a
profession, with her driving
force being the birth of her
brother and caring for pa
tients and their families, ac
cording to Piedmont
officials.
“I have been motivated
to be a nurse my whole life.
When I was four years old,
we were at the hospital after
my brother was born and I
said, ‘I want to be a nurse.’
My passion is caring for my
patients and their families,”
Jenkins said. “I feel ex
tremely blessed by each and
every patient that I have en
countered over the last 21
years.”
Jenkins has been practic
ing as a family nurse prac
titioner for 11 years with
Piedmont Fayette but has
been certified for longer. She
worked as a neurologic in
tensive care unit nurse at
Emory for six years, then
graduated with her degree in
advanced practice nursing.
After earning that degree,
Jenkins went on to practice
as a certified nurse midwife
for four years in Fayette
County.
While she has been prac
ticing and helping in her
community for the last 21
years, Jenkins does not shy
away from her passion for
helping others.
As a nurse, Jenkins ex
plained how she has inter
acted and helped people
from all walks of life while
also keeping in mind her
own views of the world in
which she lives. Between ev
eryday patients and the
COVID-19 pandemic, the
world began to shift for her
in not only patient care, but
also in her personal life.
“I am a pretty open-
minded person in general,
but my profession has al
lowed me to open my heart
to each individual patient,
regardless of their needs.
Nursing has also allowed me
to connect with so many dif
ferent people of all walks of
life, both near and far,” Jen
kins said. “Working through
our recent pandemic really
put things in perspective and
made me really appreciate
the compassion that I have
for my patients, my willing
ness to listen and under
stand my patients, and the
knowledge that I have to
offer my patients and their
families.”
Jenkins said she has had
her own trials to overcome
that shifted her focus and
allow her to see the world
through a fragile and deli
cate lens. With the loss of her
son, Brady, she took some
time away from her passion
to look at life from not only
an individual perspective,
but also one that involved
family, children, and the
continued preservation of
life.
“Brady's passing really
put things into perspective
for me. I suddenly realized
how fragile life can be and
how important spending
quality time with your family
is,” Jenkins said. “This is
when I began my journey
practicing as a family nurse
practitioner, which allowed
me the time to appreciate
and enjoy time with my hus
band and daughter Taylor
(Brady's twin sister). I will
Inman Antique Expo
Returns March 4-5
The second annual
Inman Antique Expo is
coming to Minter’s Farm
in south Fayette County
March 4-5.
The event, held in the
same location as the an
nual Inman Farm Heritage
Days in September, will in
clude the 13th annual
Inman Antique Truck
Show, previously held on
Father’s Day weekend.
The show, which fea
tures antique cars, trucks,
tractors, and equipment,
plus numerous other dem
onstrations of old-time
equipment, is sponsored
this year by Clayton
County and Henry County
Farm Bureaus.
Stephanie Minter Ada-
mek, who promotes the
Inman shows along with
her parents Rick and
Joanne Minter, said sup
port from local Farm Bu
reau organizations makes
it possible for visitors to
see a great event without
having to pay admission.
“We are excited to have
the farm folks in Clayton
and Henry counties step
up in a big way to help put
on this event,” Adamek
said. “Since the beginning,
we have used our shows to
promote agriculture, past
and present.”
Adamek says she hopes
people gain a greater ap
preciation for how agricul
ture has evolved and con
tinues to play a major part
in lives of Georgians.
“Agriculture is Geor
gia’s biggest industry, and
even though our counties
have become more urban,
it’s still important for
people here to understand
the role agriculture plays
in our daily lives,” Adamek
said.
One new addition to
permanent exhibits at the
showgrounds on Hill’s
Bridge Road is a replica of
an old-time engine shop
where a farmer would
have taken his tractor or
truck for major repairs.
Joe Mangham, a
member of Pike County
Old Tractor and Equip
ment Club, which has been
a major participant in the
Inman shows for years,
will host the new exhibit.
Mangham, retired from
his job as a machinist at
Delta Air Lines, will dem
onstrate the inner work
ings of engines, how
cylinder heads are re
worked, and how worn
blocks are bored.
The engine shop is lo
cated near Jim and Sarah
Minter Nature Trail, which
opened last year and
carries visitors on an edu
cational tour through the
woods of the showgrounds
and to the Betsill Family
Moonshine Exhibit, one of
the more popular attrac
tions at Inman shows.
The trail ends near a
group of exhibits that in
cludes the Maxwell Ma
chine Shop, the Bristol
Sawmill, and the Greuel
Cider Shed, as well as a
planning mill, shingle mill,
and shops for antique
clocks and antique guns.
Another new exhibit
area is Joanne’s Doll
House, located next to the
Broom Shop in the Gen
eral Store building. This
room will have many an
tique dolls and parapher
nalia, as well as showcase
the late Mr. John Drake’s
miniature houses he
created throughout the
years.
Drake was a long-time
supporter of Heritage
Days and built the founda
tion and chimney for Miss
Quinnie’s Cabin, as well as
the foundation and chim
ney for the syrup kettle.
Show hours are 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Parade of Power
will be held on Saturday at
noon and several food ven
dors, including Chick-fil-A
and Big Pig Barbecue, will
be present.
For more information,
visit Mintersfarm.com, fol
low Inman Farm Heritage
Days on Facebook, or call
770-461-2840.
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Brandy Jenkins, left, and her award plaque, right.
Submitted
never be the same after
Brady's passing; I will always
be better because he taught
me about life, love, and true
grit and determination.”
Her faith continues to
grow with the loss of Brady
and her view of him as her
“forever angel” allowed her
to press on and embrace
each new patient that she
encountered with a deeper
form of compassion.
“My faith grew much
stronger because of him. My
precious angel was my great
est blessing. My practice was
forever changed after
Brady's passing,” Jenkins
said. “I have always been
very compassionate, but my
yearn to truly love and care
for my patients has a new
meaning.”
Faith and family allow
for Jenkins to process
Brady’s death and also dive
deeper into her family’s
values of bringing joy and
light, “despite the darkness.”
In fact, Jenkins’ family hosts
the light display in Tyrone.
Within that display is the
“Fishing Cousins,” which
places a memorial for Brady
in the center of the display as
he is never forgotten among
family and friends.
“My parents’ light dis
play as a whole, the ‘Fishing
Cousins,’ and Brady's Me
morial, along with the
‘March of Dimes’ collection
site, is a beautiful example
and reminder of the beauty
in human beings here on
Earth,” Jenkins said. “What
a beautiful site, a community
uniting together and in sup
port of my precious child.
This is a constant reminder
of how truly blessed I am to
have been chosen to be
Brady's mother. Brady has
not only blessed our family,
but he has touched so many
in our community.”
Jenkins looks back on
her 21 years in healthcare
and reminisces on the joys
and pains that come with the
profession as a blessing to be
able to comfort those who
hurt and laugh with those
who rejoice, despite the
events that may come in
their journeys.
“My 21 years in nursing
have been nothing short of
incredible. I have laughed
with patients, cried with pa
tients, calmed my patients,
held them tight as they said
their final goodbyes to a
loved one, and loved and
cared for patients until their
final breath. [It is] such a
blessing to love what you do,
and I have been blessed by
each and every patient en
counter along my journey
and look forward to what the
future brings my way,” Jen
kins said.
Jenkins praises her par
ents and family who pro
vided her with a solid
foundation of “strength, con
fidence, determination, and
drive to reach for the stars
and always strive for not
only achieving [her] goals
but surpassing them.” While
her journey is far from com
plete, there are three more
pieces of wisdom that she
would give her younger self,
if she could, to prepare her
for what lies ahead.
“If I could give my
younger self three more
words of wisdom, they
would be to never let any
thing or anyone stand in
your way, the sky is the limit,
and always know your worth
and strive for greatness.”
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