BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Becky Behling, of Belvidere, is the recipient of this year’s local Remarkable Women of the Year award from Nexstar Broadcasting.

Raising a family is a challenge in itself, but imagine doing so while working full-time, putting yourself through a Bachelor’s program and completing a Master’s nurse practitioner program.

It takes extraordinary effort and energy to pull all of that off, but that is exactly what Behling, a wife and mother, accomplished. She continues to impact her patients and her peers.

After 33 years of marriage, David Behling is used to his wife Becky’s cell phone ringing at all hours.

“The way we kind of make peace with it is knowing that it makes a difference,” David said. “You know, the calls that she gets aren’t trivial calls.”

The wife and mother of three is a cardiovascular nurse practitioner at UW Health SwedishAmerican. She works long hours at the hospital, and even when she is off, she makes sure that her patients and their relatives can reach her anytime.

“Especially now with COVID, they can’t come in so, you know, I’m their eyes and their ears, and if I don’t help them and let them know what’s going on with their family member, they sometimes don’t get that information,” Becky said. “So, I have always given my number out. I want them to know that I’m here for them if they need anything.”

Dr. Thomas Hinkamp, director of cardiothoracic surgery at UW Health SwedishAmerican, said that he could not do what he does without Becky.

“Becky is phenomenal,” Hinkamp said. “Every doctor in this hospital has her cell phone, every patient has her cell phone, and so she’s communicating with everybody at the same time. So, you can imagine the amount of work that’s involved.”

That same dedication extends to her loved ones. David calls her the heart and soul of their family.

“She’s the only person I know that can work a 60-hour week at the hospital right through Thanksgiving weekend and still entertain 40 people and cook a big meal here at our house,” he said.

David called his wife a consummate caregiver and strong patient advocate.

“If she’s got a patient that’s not doing well, she’s not doing well. A lot of nights, a lot of late nights up on the phone, you know, trying to sort things out for a patient” David said. “She treats her patients like she does family.”

David did not tell Becky that he nominated her for WTVO’s “Remarkable Women” campaign because he said that she would not want the recognition. He was right.

“Well mad at first because this is not my thing. It’s not,” Becky said. “I’m not one to, you know, I think every woman is remarkable. I do.”

Behling was announced as the winner of the Remarkable Women contest on April 4th.

The annual contest celebrates champions, trailblazers and everyday heroes. Across the country, hundreds of women were nominated to become Nexstar’s Remarkable Woman of the Year.