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At no time in recent history has the world experienced something as intense and all encompassing as the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Monday, there were 1,152,372 million cases in the United States alone and 67,456 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That’s only a slice of the world wide toll the coronavirus has taken, with 3,607,469 cases globally and 252,346 deaths.

Those numbers paint a depressing picture of the planet Earth and what its people are enduring. Healthcare professionals on the front line are being pressured like never before as they try to stay on top of this rapidly spreading disease.

Which is why National Nurses Week, starting today with National Nurses Day, is so much more poignant this year.

Nurses are often considered the backbone of the medical field, making sure patients are ushered smoothly through their treatments when visiting hospitals and clinics. But more often than not they are more than healthcare workers. They are often therapists of a sort, sitting by bedsides and listening or even holding a hand during the final moments of life.

They become closer with the families of the patients, explaining the process to loved ones. Nurses will often say they feel like family after seeing patients and their own families day after day.

Working in the healthcare field is never easy, but still rewarding, and nurses are a central part of that. Now, more than ever, need our support and definitely they need our gratitude for the work they do.

National Nurses Week goes from May 6-12, ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. She is considered to be a pioneer of nursing as we know it today.

Be sure to thank a nurse when you see them, not just these coming days, but all year long.