She rejoined nursing in the midst of the COVID crisis and won 1 million Watts

They say God works in mysterious ways. It certainly seemed that way to Candice C.

“I honestly felt the Lord was leading me back to work and it was all as COVID was coming out and I was like, ‘OK, this is interesting timing,’” she says.

The Redding mother of five says both she and her husband Matt had a strong feeling that she was meant to return to duty as a nurse, even during this most trying time for the medical profession.

It’s difficult to imagine a harder re-entry. Candice worked 18-hour shifts that left her feeling “a level of tiredness you’ve never known until you’ve done it."

This on top of the fear of the unknown in the early days of the pandemic.

“It takes a lot to rattle an ICU nurse, and we were crying at the beginning of shifts because we didn’t know what COVID was going to be like, if you’re bringing it home to your family when you leave work,” she recalls. “So it was definitely emotional and scary.”

It was Matt who first joined OhmConnect to help manage the family’s energy costs six months ago. Recently he saw the “Thanks a Million” contest and thought of his tireless partner.

In addition to her work as a nurse, Candice also managed to keep her local soccer league up and running during the pandemic.

“Teams of 10 with one coach together,” she says. “Everyone was so grateful that we were able to provide a place for kids to feel normal.”

Candice was surprised to learn she had won 1 million Watts for her heroism during COVID. She says she’ll probably spend her winnings on a vacation with her husband and kids.

“We like to invest back in our family,” she says.

Her message for those who are wondering how to help: Little things matter.

“Be intentional in reaching out to people,” she says, “‘because isolation is not good for anyone.”