“So, where are you from?”
I’ve heard this a thousand times in the past four years. Everyone reacts in similar ways when I reply, “Rhode Island.” I smile as they tilt their head, scrunch their eyebrows, and reply with something along the lines of “huh, really?” After high school I have lived a minimum of 1000 miles away from my hometown. Once they process the distance, they fire the next question “how did you end up here?” And I think about my family, and how they helped me get to where I am today.
My passion for medicine snuck up on me. I had always loved science but it took some time to realize I wanted to become a physician. When I was in middle school, my youngest brother was diagnosed with Autism and bipolar disorder. During the …show more content…
Upon arrival, I almost didn’t recognize my mother. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, doctors thought she had a food allergy and was adjusting. However, my mother appeared severely underweight and malnourished. It was that day that I started to seriously consider medicine. Over the next few weeks at home I witnessed the conditions my mother lived in. She could barely eat any food, was constantly sick, tired and weak. She was losing her hair, her sense of balance, and the ability to climb stairs. I felt guilty for leaving my family for school. I wanted to do more, ease the pain, but there was nothing I could do. I drove fifteen hours away to start the next semester, constantly thinking about a way to help my family. My mother’s condition sparked a desire in me to find answers to her medical condition and others. I want to cause direct change, to help families in similar situations because no one should have to live in suffering. I realized pursuing medicine would allow me to combine my love of science and drive to find solutions for those in medical …show more content…
The stress of my mother’s sickness had worn him down and it was a year later with no answers. He knew he needed help, but when he sought assistance from the local hospital they only asked, “are you going to kill yourself?” When he answered no, they denied him help. It took a longer drive than he thought and a psychiatric hospital to find relief. I found out during his two-week stay that my grandmother had been telling family members that my father was undergoing treatment for hives. She didn’t want anyone to know he was at a psychiatric hospital because that is where “the crazy people are.” I was shocked that the stigma of mental illness was so strong. A family should be supportive when someone is dealing with any kind of illness, but that isn’t always the reality. As a physician I will be able to provide the support to those who need
I’ve heard this a thousand times in the past four years. Everyone reacts in similar ways when I reply, “Rhode Island.” I smile as they tilt their head, scrunch their eyebrows, and reply with something along the lines of “huh, really?” After high school I have lived a minimum of 1000 miles away from my hometown. Once they process the distance, they fire the next question “how did you end up here?” And I think about my family, and how they helped me get to where I am today.
My passion for medicine snuck up on me. I had always loved science but it took some time to realize I wanted to become a physician. When I was in middle school, my youngest brother was diagnosed with Autism and bipolar disorder. During the …show more content…
Upon arrival, I almost didn’t recognize my mother. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, doctors thought she had a food allergy and was adjusting. However, my mother appeared severely underweight and malnourished. It was that day that I started to seriously consider medicine. Over the next few weeks at home I witnessed the conditions my mother lived in. She could barely eat any food, was constantly sick, tired and weak. She was losing her hair, her sense of balance, and the ability to climb stairs. I felt guilty for leaving my family for school. I wanted to do more, ease the pain, but there was nothing I could do. I drove fifteen hours away to start the next semester, constantly thinking about a way to help my family. My mother’s condition sparked a desire in me to find answers to her medical condition and others. I want to cause direct change, to help families in similar situations because no one should have to live in suffering. I realized pursuing medicine would allow me to combine my love of science and drive to find solutions for those in medical …show more content…
The stress of my mother’s sickness had worn him down and it was a year later with no answers. He knew he needed help, but when he sought assistance from the local hospital they only asked, “are you going to kill yourself?” When he answered no, they denied him help. It took a longer drive than he thought and a psychiatric hospital to find relief. I found out during his two-week stay that my grandmother had been telling family members that my father was undergoing treatment for hives. She didn’t want anyone to know he was at a psychiatric hospital because that is where “the crazy people are.” I was shocked that the stigma of mental illness was so strong. A family should be supportive when someone is dealing with any kind of illness, but that isn’t always the reality. As a physician I will be able to provide the support to those who need