Duke nurse cares for children -- her own and COVID patients in ICU

"Nobody likes to see kids sick. It's hard to see a sick kid," she said.

Motherhood makes her a better nurse.

"You know how you want to be taken care of or how you would want someone to talk to your own kids," she said.

What really pained her about COVID was the need to keep patients isolated. She felt for a child alone in a hospital room.

"It's hard for a kid to understand why they have to be in a room by themselves, and that's hard when you have a kid that wants you to be in the room with them, and you can't just stay in a COVID room," she said.

"She was so compassionate. She was worried about non-English speaking families, advocating for their needs and making sure they understood through translation," Quinn said of Mohagheghi.

Like any nurse, Mohagheghi has felt drained by the pandemic, but ultimately, she finds her work fulfilling.

"Everybody that goes into nursing goes in for a reason," she said. "Nobody goes in it for the money. It's always the reward we get for taking care of people."

There, she sees a lot of suffering.

"And I've seen some patients make some pretty miraculous turnarounds, and that's pretty awesome to have a small part in that," she said.