My Hometown.
Hello everyone, my name is Amber Sanvick. I am the director of healthcare at The Cedars of Austin here in Austin, MN. I was born and raised in Austin, graduated from Austin High in 2002, and then went to Riverland for my Nursing Degree. I have been a nurse since 2008, working solely with the senior population. I started my career as a CNA, working at the “old” Comforcare across the street from Walgreens. At the same facility where my great-grandmother was, my mom told me she would take me on walks to see her, and she would always ask for my mom to lay me next to her in her hospital bed. I was just an infant when she passed away at the very facility I started my nursing career.
I went on to get my LPN and, a year later, my RN; I worked in Adams, MN, at a nursing home off Highway 56. My Grandpa Kraft was in the Adams facility for years, and I worked with the nurses who took care of him. One nurse told me she remembered me coming to see Grandpa when I was in 5th grade; I played him Happy Birthday on the violin; I’m sure it was horrible, but he said he enjoyed it. That same nurse trained me, and I am forever grateful to her; she was truly an inspiration to me.
The relationships and connections you make during your life really do make a difference; the trust and familiarity you have with someone you know or have met is so comforting. There have been so many instances of caring for family, friends, teachers, etc. It has really been a gift working in my hometown and getting to return the favor to those who taught/cared for me.
Growing up, I didn’t always want to be a nurse; I wanted to be a marine biologist. Working by the ocean with fish and dolphins sounded so fun that all came to a halt when I mispronounced an organism during my 7th-grade career speech. I was always encouraged by my Grandma Anderson to be a nurse; both of my grandmothers were nurses in Austin at St. Olaf Hospital. I would play with my Grandma’s old Littman stethoscope as a kid; it still had “St.Olaf” inscribed on the diaphragm. I’m sure they gave it to her as a retirement gift.
A product of the 80’s and the only child of 2 plant workers, my childhood was drinking out of the garden hose, playing outside, going to the municipal pool, and biking around town with my friends. My parents have lived in the same house since before I was born, so to say I don’t like change is accurate. I have worked at The Cedars of Austin for over ten years now, and I have loved every minute of it. I am raising my little family in Austin now; my two girls are going to Austin High, and they even have some of the same teachers I did. It warms my heart knowing they will have their own memories of their upbringing, just as the last three generations of women. I always wanted to leave, but I am so glad I stayed. Everything really does happen for a reason.
