Most people can pinpoint the defining moment in their life. The moment that alters a person to the core. A moment so impactful that it leaves the person questioning everything about life. Not every moment is the same or evokes the same emotional response, but every moment does leave the person one gift: a purpose in life.
My moment came when I was only six. For a year, my three-year-old sister had been sick. At first we were not worried, after all, as a middle-class family, we should be able to afford any medications. However, as her condition deteriorates our sanguine attitude vanish. For middle-class families in the United States an illness like this would have been treated routinely, but not where we lived. We lived in Haiti, where …show more content…
A fire was ignited in me. As a result, I decided that any explanation involving the gods or spirits was no longer acceptable to me. Learning about biology and science as a whole general in school proved to be intriguing and created a desire in me to learn more. Therefore, I read as much as I could on the subject because books were the only resource available. As I continued my education, it became clear that I found my calling in the field of medicine. Importantly, between the age of twelve and fifteen, I volunteered through NGOs once a year to provide vaccinations against infectious and disabling diseases such as filariasis in my community. There, I had front row window to observe and partake in lifechanging benefits of medical care. Understandably, my interest in the field of medicine continue to grow. At the same time, I became aware of the obstacles that awaited me should I to be given the opportunity to study medicine. With my father deceased and no government assistance for students, it would be nearly impossible financially. Moreover, becoming a nurse or doctor would mean I would receive the same training as the doctors who continually failed the community they served. Luckily, at the age of sixteen came the opportunity of a lifetime. My entire immediate family was granted visas to move to the U.S. permanently. Suddenly, my story became once again
My moment came when I was only six. For a year, my three-year-old sister had been sick. At first we were not worried, after all, as a middle-class family, we should be able to afford any medications. However, as her condition deteriorates our sanguine attitude vanish. For middle-class families in the United States an illness like this would have been treated routinely, but not where we lived. We lived in Haiti, where …show more content…
A fire was ignited in me. As a result, I decided that any explanation involving the gods or spirits was no longer acceptable to me. Learning about biology and science as a whole general in school proved to be intriguing and created a desire in me to learn more. Therefore, I read as much as I could on the subject because books were the only resource available. As I continued my education, it became clear that I found my calling in the field of medicine. Importantly, between the age of twelve and fifteen, I volunteered through NGOs once a year to provide vaccinations against infectious and disabling diseases such as filariasis in my community. There, I had front row window to observe and partake in lifechanging benefits of medical care. Understandably, my interest in the field of medicine continue to grow. At the same time, I became aware of the obstacles that awaited me should I to be given the opportunity to study medicine. With my father deceased and no government assistance for students, it would be nearly impossible financially. Moreover, becoming a nurse or doctor would mean I would receive the same training as the doctors who continually failed the community they served. Luckily, at the age of sixteen came the opportunity of a lifetime. My entire immediate family was granted visas to move to the U.S. permanently. Suddenly, my story became once again