I'm just so very lucky to be able to do what I do for a living, and giving back is a way for me to express my gratitude. I'm so lucky to be in a position to help people, and that's appealing to me.

At first, you're almost overwhelmed, all the people who are giving you information, who are wanting to help. There are the volunteers, the army liaisons, the doctors, the nurses. But it winds up being great. They let you focus, let you worry, about your soldier.

When you're in a position to have gotten so much, the gift at this point is giving back.

For us, giving back is not an extracurricular activity.

Giving back was an expectation, not an option.

My parents were very giving. They taught us to always help other people. Maybe that's what got me into nursing.