For Heather, a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and a co-captain of the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad, it often felt like she was living two separate lives. “My colleagues did not know for a very long time that I am also a Washington Redskins cheerleader. But, of course, over the years they figured it out.”

Heather began cheering when she was just six years old. Encouraged by her mother to stay active, Heather decided to try out for a recreational cheerleading team and was hooked.

In college at The Johns Hopkins University, there was not a collegiate cheer or dance team, so she auditioned for the local NFL team’s cheerleading squad. Heather says she didn’t expect to make it— but she did. After spending three years on that team while attending JHU, she became a Redskins cheerleader.

“Cheering on the field during a nationally televised game with thousands of fans in the stadium is so exciting,” Heather says.

The 2017 season was Heather’s fourth with the Washington Redskins—one of four co-captains on the 34 member cheerleading squad. They cheer at every Redskins home game, which includes two preseason games and eight home games during the regular season.

However, Heather says, there is one instance when the squad would travel to cheer at an away game—“if we go to the Super Bowl, which hopefully will happen at some point during my time as a Redskins cheerleader!”

While Heather is focused on pumping up the home crowd, someone special is always in the stands rooting just for her. “My mom comes to every single game. She is definitely my biggest fan.”

Game days can be long. Heather estimates she spends anywhere from 10 to 40 hours a week dancing on top of her job as a nurse.

“If you told me I worked 80 hours a week, I wouldn’t believe you. I love both of my jobs so much, for completely different reasons. I don’t know if I could do one as well without the other.”

In fact, Heather’s passion for nursing was sparked through cheerleading. When she first became an NFL cheerleader, the squad visited a few local hospitals, including the old Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. At the time, Heather was a pre-med major. She knew she wanted to help people and thought she wanted to be a doctor. But that quickly changed. “During these appearances, I witnessed that the nurses were the ones providing hands-on care, standing by the patient and helping the families. That’s when I decided to switch my major from pre-med to nursing.”

For Heather, it was definitely the right decision. “I absolutely love being a pediatric ICU nurse. There is something about kids—they are just so innocent and resilient and, at times, really funny.”

Heather says her favorite part of the job is when she and her colleagues are able to nurse a child back to health and they get to go home. While the wins can sometimes be few and far between, she has learned to celebrate the small victories, like seeing a child who has been in the children’s center for months finally smile or laugh for the first time. “It’s those little moments of joy, if only for a second, that you have to hold onto and keep with you as long as possible to help you get through the tougher times.” 

Dancing, Heather says, also helps. “It’s my release. It helps me fill up my cup at the end of the day so I can come back to work tomorrow ready to care for another child.”

*Editor’s note: The NFL requests that its professional cheerleaders’ last names not be published.