My name is Marco. I’m a nurse. And today… I cried in the hallway. No one noticed. No one asked if I was okay.

Today was like so many others, but today, the weight of it all felt unbearable. As a nurse, I’m used to offering comfort, providing care, and being the steady presence for my patients when they need it the most. But today, I had to walk two patients on their final journey. I held their hands as they took their last breaths, offering the quiet reassurance that they wouldn’t be alone.

One moment that lingers in my mind is when I hugged a father who had just lost his son. The pain in his eyes, the overwhelming sorrow, it was a grief that no words could ease. But somehow, I found a way to comfort him, to be a pillar in his shattered world.

Later, I spent time with a gentleman who was nearing the end of his life. I washed his hair gently, as he smiled tiredly and said, “At least I’ll come out clean.” His words stayed with me, and as he held my hand tightly, I felt the weight of his loneliness. No family was there to say goodbye. It was just me, with my heart full of empathy, trying to fill the silence that he would leave behind.

Every day, I give my all to my patients: my care, my closeness, and my human warmth. But sometimes, in the midst of it all, I forget to give myself even a little tenderness. There’s no time to cry, no time to pause, no time to let the emotions out. It’s just go, go, go. But I am only human, and today, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I don’t ask for applause. I don’t need recognition. But today, as I wiped away my tears in the quiet hallway, I couldn’t help but hope that someone would notice me. Someone would look me in the eyes and say, “Hey Marco.” Maybe today… that would make me feel a little less alone, a little more seen.

Because in this world where I give everything I have to others, sometimes, I just need a little kindness, a little acknowledgment that I’m not invisible. Just a moment to remind me that I’m not alone.