Any nurses/medical workers who need sone reassurance

So I have been a nurse in some capacity for 20 yrs now anf the last 4 yrs have been by far some of the hardest for sooooo many reason and all health care peers can relate I am sure. I know myself and a lot of my coworkers and I am sure those across the nation are feelings defeated and down and stressed. Between seeing doctors fight insurance, parients crying over costs and leaving ama, the insane short staffing, hate, everything we are spent but we do make a difference. For those feeling the same remember what we do and how we treat patients most importantly matters. This comes from something that happened this week. I ran 2 icu covid units for our hospitals from April 2020 to october 2021 at the peak. Wr had a very high mortality rate and.every day I walked into and out of work past our 2 morgue trucks because we needed room for bodies. We had police escorts if requested to get us to car garages after a person almost beat an asian nurse to death over "bringing covid" and we had several bomb threats. But we worked and we helped and we put our families at risk or like me lived in hotels.at times to protect my babies who one of which has immune issues. The patients were always there and more waiting and it was obviously isolating on them. I tried my best to make them feel as normal as possible and cared for. Special gifts when I saw someone diving into depression. Having family send me signed cards or before we got tablets having them video call on my iphone. Talking, singing, beinging a stuffed animal or cupcake on bday. I alway wonder if it meant anything or was just more for me to feel like I was doing something more. Last Thursday a tall and kind 20 yr old and his mom came and asked for me so my lead brought me out. When he was a teen he was on my floor for 3 months...6 weeks on a vent. I remember him well as he was a baby to me. He had his 16th bday about a month after being unvented. He could see no family, friends, or anything. I have 5 kids of my own and brought him a small cake had me and 1 other nurse sing happy bday and I got him a small gift...just a basic art set as he said he loved to draw and sketch. I felt like I shoukd have done more and that week we lost 11 patients so was already feeling down. He and his mom came back with flowers and wanted to thank me and said they still think about that day and how I made him feel. He also showed me a acceptance letter to a art program he just got into and let me tell you was a mess of tears by the time they left. I cannot believe someone still thinks of me that far out or it had any real impact...but rememeber what we do matters. It does and even a 5 min conversation on a busy day of a lonely patient means the world. Every patient you see you impact in some way so make it good and know we matter and what we do matter. I've seen true horrors in my life as I was ex military and also ran emergency response years for natural disasaters like hurricane katrina for example and even then had these feelings...but remember WE MATTER. Please keep working for your patients and keep fighting for better systems and fight like hell against UHC specifically. Thanks to all my medical peers and anyone thinking of going into it. So many other professions this applies to but for me I only know my field. Thanks y'all if you read this far.