Mother Cheryl Hastings: Nursing through

Recovery

Cheryl Hastings put her education on hold to have a family, and she became a nurse after the birth of her third child.

She works in labor and delivery at Parkland hospital and was on her way to getting a master’s degree to be a midwife when Zoe was murdered.

In her grief, Cheryl found a new purpose.

She saw an advertisement about the need for sexual assault nurse examiners. With additional training, nurses can examine women who’ve been sexually assaulted, preserving evidence for trial. They could even testify as expert witnesses.

For a mother whose daughter was sexually assaulted before she was murdered, this was an interesting choice. Cheryl says she even surprised herself a bit.

“I thought, ‘I don’t want to do that. Well maybe I do want to do that,’ ” she says.

The role is an important but undesirable one, requiring a balancing act of attention to detail, empathy and emotional distance.

“These people need someone who can help them in that step to recovery,” Cheryl says. “A little voice inside me said try it. They could use you.”