As-salamu alaykum - Struggling to Return to Islam and Rebuild Iman

As-salamu alaykum. I’m asking for advice as I try to find my way back to Islam and draw closer to Allah. For about 10 years I’ve made the same two du’as over and over. In every rakat, every umrah, every Ramadan I would cry in prayer asking Allah to (1) heal my brother or at least stop his condition from getting worse, and (2) grant me entry into medicine. My brother has a progressive, terminal illness with no cure. Over time he lost his sight, speech, hearing and movement. He was first noted to have health problems at age ten, and since then I prayed constantly for him. Each year he seemed to lose more and more of himself, with new diagnoses until he became completely paralysed. Watching him decline was the first thing that shook my iman. I prayed and felt ignored as he deteriorated. I would wonder how this could happen to a child and why my simple du’a wasn’t answered - I felt I wasn’t asking for much, only for him not to get worse. The second du’a was about medicine. I poured my whole education into getting into medical school. I isolated myself, studied constantly, didn’t socialise much, and gave up other things for my goal. After so much effort and so many prayers, I didn’t get accepted. That rejection hit me deeply because it had been my aim since childhood. Both of these things crushed my iman. I began to question the point of du’a and prayer. If nothing changes, what’s the purpose of calling on Allah? I became angry and lost hope, so I stopped praying and stopped making du’a. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in Allah - I do - but I feel His presence in other people’s lives more than in mine. When I try to speak to Him I feel ignored. I truly want to return to Islam and rebuild a strong relationship with Allah, but I don’t know how to begin or where to find my iman again. I feel lost, defeated and unsure what steps to take. I long for a connection with Him but it feels out of reach. If any brothers or sisters have sincere advice, personal experiences, or practical steps that helped you when you felt distant from Allah, I would be really grateful to hear them.