Most people pursue a career in medicine to fulfill their families wishes or for the money associated with the work, but I am attracted to the medical field because it has grown to be a part of who I am. From the time I was a toddler illness has been an impactful factor of my life. When I was five years old my Poppop, who filled in for my not present father, was diagnosed with stage three Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Of course, at the time my understanding of his disease only went as deep as realizing he did not feel well and was unusually tired. He battled the disease for years and as I grew it progressed. When I was older I began to realize the complexity of his illness and began inquiring as to why the treatment appeared to have more adverse effects
