While it was more than 20 years ago, I remember that day like it was yesterday.

That was the day I received my license to be a registered nurse. I still remember the whirlwind of feelings I experienced as I first held my license in my hands. On that day, I felt relief and pride for having completed a long academic journey. But I also felt the weight of the awesome responsibility to my patients and my profession that comes with being a registered nurse.

What’s why every year, as Nurses Week approaches, I try to remember how I felt that day and honor the commitment my colleagues and I have made to a profession that centers on helping others. Never has that commitment been more important than it is during this year’s Nursing Week, when nurses all across the world, including here in the Upstate, are caring for those stricken with COVID-19.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday and International Nurse Day, and it is dedicated to celebrating the millions of nurses around the world who tirelessly help heal the sick. It is a time to raise awareness of the value of nursing and to celebrate the vital roles that the more than 3 million registered nurses in the United States play in health care.

Over the last several weeks, it has been heartwarming to observe how the community has come together to support nurses and other health care workers in the face of the novel coronavirus. Countless businesses and individuals have reached out to show their support in a myriad of ways — from sewing masks to donating supplies to standing on the street corner during shift change holding signs of encouragement and support.

One local resident, Lisa Marie Carter, was inspired to found Anderson Aid, a network of community donors and local restaurants that have come together to provide meals for frontline workers during the pandemic. Since early April, the organization has delivered almost 500 prepaid lunches (including notes of encouragement from local restaurant employees) to AnMed Health nurses and staff. Carter wanted to honor all health care workers, but especially our cardiac care nurses who helped her husband while he was hospitalized in late March with heart problems.

Nurses Week is also a time to remember that nurses not only care for their patients, but they care for and support each other. Particularly inspiring is the story of Andrea Patterson, who works as a nurse in AnMed Health’s CICU/CVICU unit. Patterson knew she wanted to find a way to lift the spirits of those nurses working in the ICU, Emergency Department and the COVID-19 unit. So Patterson and her fellow CICU/CVICU nurses put together baskets filled with goodies and words of encouragement to give to their fellow nurses who are working on the COVID-19 frontlines.

And while Nurses Week is a wonderful time to recognize the work and sacrifices of our nurses, it is also the perfect time for nurses to recognize you — patients, families, partners and community members. Your continuing support and generosity reflect how we’re truly in this together.

This Nurses Week, I encourage you to please take a few moments out of your day to thank a nurse. You can send your cards and notes of appreciation to AnMed Health, Att: Healthcare Heroes, 800 N. Fant Street, Anderson, S.C. 29621.

Finally, to all the nurses I’ve worked with throughout my career, I would like to thank you for your dedication to your patients, your profession and the communities you serve. Every day, you continue to inspire me!

Shaunda Trotter, RN, is the vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer of AnMed Health. Trotter started her nursing career at AnMed Health before leaving to pursue a leadership position. With nearly 20 years of progressive nursing experience, Trotter returned to AnMed Health after serving as chief nursing officer for Hillcrest Memorial Hospital in Simpsonville. She is an MSN graduate of the University of Phoenix and is a member of numerous boards and nursing organizations. She currently serves on a committee of the South Carolina Board of Nursing. In 2018, she was one of only 100 Palmetto Gold Award recipients named annually by the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.