Natalie Sanders

If there were honors given in Sequoyah County for heroes, Natalie Sanders of Sallisaw, should be among the top.

Sanders, 17, recently helped a victim who apparently had overdosed on drugs by administering NARCAN, and saved the victim’s life.

“It was on a Sunday, and my friend and I decided to go to the park,” she said. “We came to a stop sign and there was this vehicle parked there. It was not moving, so I slowly decided to go around it. I noticed there was a person in there, and they appeared to be slumped over on the steering wheel.

“I decided to get out of my car and see if the person was okay. It was then I noticed there was blood and vomit on the steering wheel, and I thought, oh, my gosh, I don’t know if this person is alive or not!”

Sanders then called 911 and tried to open the door of the vehicle to get to the person, but the doors were locked.

“I got my window breaker out of my truck, but I was not strong enough to break the window.

“Some guy who lived nearby showed up and told me the car had been sitting there for about 25 to 30 minutes. He was able to break the window, and I had some NARCAN in my truck, and administered it to her and she came to,” Sanders said.

Sanders said she has learned to be prepared for just about any emergency through her mother, who is a nurse.

“My mom sat down with me and said, ‘What if this happens, what will you do? Or this?’ And she has taught me to be prepared for just about anything,” she said.

After the person regained consciousness, Sanders said the emergency crew showed up and took over.

“The fire chief came up to me and told me I probably saved this person’s life,” she said. “I just did what I thought I needed to do. The thing I know about NARCAN is it won’t hurt a person if it’s not a drug-related problem they have.”

Sanders said her mother has been a big supporter and inspiration to her.

“I take classes at ICTC, and I plan to become a nurse. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said.

“When I was in kindergarten, our teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grow up, and I said, ‘I want to be a nurse, just like my mom’,’” she said.

Sanders is a senior at Central High School, where she is a Honor Society member. She currently serves on the advisory committee at ICTC and the National Tech Honor Society. She plans to attend college in Fort Smith following graduation and study nursing.

“I want to go into nursing because I want to help people. Even moreso after this incident,” she said.

“I’m thankful that people go to schools to teach students about NARCAN. That’s how I learned about it. To them, it’s probably just another day to go and teach a class. But in my case, it can be a life-changing opportunity to help someone and possibly even save their life.”

Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie or Lynn at 918-775-4433.