SUTTON, Mass. – State Sen. Ryan Fattman ran an entire campaign in 2020 during the pandemic. He wore face masks. He wore protective gloves. He made sure to social distance when knocking on doors or mingling in crowds.

“I had gone a whole year where I had avoided it,” Fattman told the Sutton Board of Selectmen during a July meeting at the Town Hall. To his delight, Fattman finally became eligible to take the Covid vaccine at the end of April 2021.

“I became eligible to get my vaccination shot April 19th, got scheduled to do it April 25th, and on April 21st, I got Covid. I was exposed to a tremendous amount of people and then I found myself at the tail end of this thing.”

Fattman isolated himself from the rest of his family, but then two days later, his son tested positive for the virus as well. Two days after that, his daughter tested positive, and then a few more days following, his pregnant wife tested positive. Luckily, his family survived the ordeal, but Fattman said he was filled with anxiety and fear. He said he felt like he was responsible for passing this along to them.

“I was feeling down about that, getting incredibly frustrated at times,” he said.

But Fattman said he had a guardian angel.

“At the other end of the phone, there was always someone who would check in to say, ‘Hey, are you okay? Can I help you? How’s your family? What do you need from me?’ And in our town, that person was Cheryl Rawinski.”

As the town’s Public Health Nurse, Rawinski did more than simply check on the senator’s family. She has been a valuable public servant of the Blackstone Valley area for many years. She serves as the public health official for several other towns, ensuring that all their needs are met. This service was highlighted as she faced the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year, she dedicated countless hours of her time to ensure the good health and well-being of thousands of citizens. She has been a vital public health resource, from diligently contact tracing to supplying resources and ensuring residents are receiving doses of the vaccine.

As recognition for her work, Fattman nominated Rawinski for the 2021 Commonwealth Heroine Citation.

“There’s no question, she’s just given blood, sweat, toil and tears,” he said.

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) supported the nomination, and Fattman presented it to Rawinski during the meeting. The citation was signed by Senate President Karen E. Spilka and Senate Clerk Michael Hurley.

“It’s quite an honor,” Rawinski said. “It’s something that I just didn’t expect. It’s just a job I had to do … I’d have to say it was an arduous task, but it needed to be done, and I had a great team of nurses, as well as other people, to help in this endeavor, which was tremendous — to say the least.”

The Board of Selectmen heartily concurred with the recognition.

“Your job was unenviable,” said Selectman Wendy Mead. “Your efforts did not go unnoticed.”

“The board recognizes the amount of work you’ve put in and the time away from your family,” said Selectman Jonathan Anderson. “You’ve been working seven days a week for a year and half. Very few people can maintain that kind of commitment, and I can imagine how tired and burned out you may feel at times. So, I just want to acknowledge you for that.”

“Cheryl, the award says unsung heroine and I think that says it all,” said Jeffrey Bannon, vice chairman of the board. “I think what you did over the last year was heroic. It really was.”

Rawinski said she truly appreciated the recognition, but warned everyone that her job and the fight against Covid was far from finished.

“Right now, Covid has slowed down a little bit, but I will say, in the past week, the uptick has been significant, so it’s starting to creep up again,” she said. “I’m just trying to get the word out to maintain your diligence and do what you need to do to stay safe.”