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From our first moments in life to our last, a nurse is almost always involved. They are one of the first, if not the first, person to hold a newborn baby entering the world. They often are the ones holding a hand as people leave the world.

They are there for all the moments in between, both to aid doctors and comfort patients. They go above and beyond to ease the stress of a patient’s family members during a most strenuous time.

Nurses are the conduit between the doctors and families and oftentimes know more about the patient than the doctor. They offer suggested treatments to doctors based on their interactions with patients and feedback from family members.

Most of us know someone that is in the nursing profession and we know they work long, hard hours.

Those hours are spent caring for people during their worst moments — oftentimes, in their final moments.

Although they do not show emotions while caring for our loved ones, they genuinely care about the patients they are helping.

What is not usually seen are the moments when they break down and hurt for a patient.

They remain strong for the people they are caring for as well as those they aren’t. They learn to deal with it.

Nursing is not just about treating a sick patient, but about going the extra mile for patients.

It’s about making a difference for families. It’s about the little things that mean the world to others.  They do all of this and have their own families to go home to and their own set of problems to deal with and come back to work with a smile and caring soul. They are the angels at your bedside.

While this week is National Nurses Week, we should honor these same nurses and all other nurses in Troup County each and every week. Thank you to all the nurses who make this community a better, healthier place to live and work.