DENVER (KDVR) — One local nurse’s family is eager to celebrate her for Mother’s Day and National Nurses Week.

Laura-Anne Cleveland is a mother of five kids ages six to 12. She is also the Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver.

During this pandemic, she’s deployed on a federal disaster medical assistance team, and she’s worked as a leader in incident command at the hospitals.

“Taking care of people is, I think, just a very real part of who I am,” Cleveland said.

In the last two months, she has worked plenty of 12 and 14 hour days.

“I have a couple of special needs kids, so sometimes that balance is tricky,” she said.

Sometimes she’ll FaceTime the kids, if she isn’t going to be able to see them before bed, and she says they make it work.

“If they understand that I’m helping people, it makes it OK for them,” she said.

Cleveland admits there are times during the pandemic that take a toll on her emotions.

“My kids do horse therapy, and the other day I just texted her, and I said I need some time with the horses, and I went, and bless their hearts, I just hugged them, and cried on them, and I needed that,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland’s family offers up nightly howls to show their support for all her work. “I think it’s pretty brave of her,” said Cleveland’s 8-year-old-daughter Isabella.

She says the family is excited to celebrate their mom on Mother’s Day.

“My mom is a hero to a lot of people. She’s helping a lot of people,” Isabella said.