She obtained her BSN from Niagara University. She then joined the Navy and worked at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth Virginia, where she met her husband. They moved the family to St. Louis, where she worked at Barnes Hospital while studying for a master's degree in nursing. She moved to Seattle for 1 year and worked at University of Washington CVICU and taught clinicals for U of W School of Nursing. She also helped to revise and edit nursing test books. She moved to Louisville in 1997, became an adjunct faculty member at Bellarmine University and Spalding University. She obtained her ND certification through Spalding in 2009. She is married and has 4 children, she loves to camp, hike and read.