05/06/2026
Nurses Week hits differently for me every year.
Before I became a doula I was, and still am, a registered nurse. 23 years in this profession has taught me things that no textbook ever could. I learned how to stay calm in chaos, how to advocate when no one is listening, and how to keep showing up even when I was running on empty.
This photo of my nursing school graduation alongside my late grandmother means everything to me. She saw the beginning of this journey, the sacrifice, the late nights, the determination it took to get here. And if she were here today, I know she’d understand just how much nurses continue to give.
Because the truth is, nurses are still giving everything.
We are working through short staffing, long hours, emotional and physical exhaustion, and systems that too often feel unsupported and unsupportive. We navigate bullying, gaslighting, verbal abuse, and unrealistic expectations while still being expected to provide calm, compassionate, flawless care. Many of us leave shifts with barely enough energy to get home safely, let alone recover.
And yet many… we still show up.
We still hold hands during fear.
We still advocate when no one else will.
We still find humanity in the hardest moments.
Nursing is not just a job, it is a calling that demands everything from you, even when you have nothing left to give. We got into this profession because we love caring for people.
To every nurse still standing in it: I see you. I am you. And I honor you.
Happy Nurses Week!
