It's 2003, she is a single mom of two kids, she lives in a house in new york, lives on a single salary, has to pay a babysitter, nurses definitely weren't making bank back then, plus she had a medical condition that required expensive tests, specialists, and medications that all cost a lot of money.

So yea, I'd say the struggle was pretty accurate.

And in many states, they are making very little more than some retail places. Nurses in states like Florida still start out making on the $20s an hour.