Every week, HOH gets to know a Member of Congress better through five fun questions. This week, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) talks about dessert and being a nurse.

Q: How is the first year in office treating you?

A: It has been every bit of the challenge I knew it would be.

Q: What was an interesting or challenging case you worked on as a registered nurse?

A: One challenge I remember took place when I was an [intensive care unit] nurse in Michigan. I had a 19-year-old female brought in who was hit by a train. Needless to say, she had sustained traumatic, irreversible brain damage and was taken off life support and died. I remember the family. … They were from out of state. As we stood at her bedside moments before removing the ventilator, her mother turned to me and asked if I thought her daughter knew they were there and if her soul was still with her body. I remember simply answering, “Yes”. …

About a month later, the family sent Mass cards to our unit for the nurses that had taken care of their daughter. I carry that card in my wallet today.

Q: Favorite quote?

A: “Seldom do well-behaved women make history.”

Q: Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, treat of choice?

A: I especially like cherry or apple pie.

Q: Fondest high school memory?

A: Climbing up on the football field stadium lights with my fellow senior classmates to hang a huge “EAGLES” sign we made out of old sheets I took from my mother’s linen closet in the middle of the night before homecoming.