"I'll admit I was very, very taken aback."

Sara Smith takes pride in the work she does for Visiting Angels in Salem but never could have expected the amount of recognition she would receive because of it.

"It's what I love to do, so when you are doing what you love most to do and someone says hey you're doing a good job at it, a great job of it; it's thrilling," says Smith. 

Smith says she became a caregiver when she was just 14 years old and believes what makes her job so special is hearing the feedback from families, oftentimes those that live out of the area.

"Visiting Angels coming in and doing what needs to be done for their client is really a tremendous help to the family," adds Smith. 

Sara says she makes between five and seven visits every week and it's her passion for health care that really makes a difference to every individual she sees in a week.

Smith beat out 5,000 others to be named a finalist for the national caregiver of the year award through Visiting Angels.