My Path To Studying Medicine
My story begins at the age of 7. I am dropped off at my grandparent’s house so my mother can make her daily pet sitting visits. My mother describes it an amazing adventure, which inside I will have a great deal of fun. I think of it as being left alone in a strange house surcum to the fear of something new. But before I can break down my grandparents rush out and great me with a warm welcome and I again feel comforted.
As we walk through the door I am greeted by these wild and colorful wonders my grandmother has created and right on key she goes “come on Straty, let's go to the studio to paint. ” I reluctantly agree. I do as I am told and begin my work splashing random colors on a piece of paper I know now contradict themselves. However, my grandmother found it beautiful and gives me an unsolicited hug. She explains how much this work of art means to her; how it is such a treat to see a young child create art. I nod with a blank face, but all I can think about is going home to play my video games. A few years pass, and now I am delighted to go to my grandparents. From an early exposure to art through my grandmother, I appreciated the creativity and precision that went into every piece. Every weekend I would lose myself in her art studio, brainstorming new ideas, conceptualizing how to transform a picture into a painting all the while trying to outdo my grandma but to no avail. This was my safe space, where I could dig deep into my head and pull out the strangest most convoluted ideas only to make them come alive on paper. However, I never saw my imaginative curiosity dwell within the arts alone. I always thought I could do more with art then the simple painting assignment. And then it happens; my grandmother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her health takes a turn for the worse, and the doctors say her time is limited. She fights for several months. We visit her in the hospital, but time is a cruel mistress, and I do not recognize the women I see before me. She is frail and immobile and is barely able to form words. I do the only thing I can; I play the guitar for her. The song is peaceful, Blackbird by the Beatles. She listens peacefully and then all of a sudden she pulls herself closer to me so to hear. I say my goodbye with tears slowly forming in my eyes. My last words were “I love you, I’ll see you again in your studio so we can paint together soon. ” You may ask yourself, what does art have to do with becoming a doctor? And, to me the answer is quite clear; medicine is an art.
Throughout history, some of the most famous minds have thought that the ideologies of the sciences and art are intertwined, and the greatest scientists in history are artists as well. They both have no preconceived boundaries of what is possible in any sense of the word and do what seems to be at times impossible. And to me, medicine is no exception. As a doctor, I will be able to bridge the gap between these two different paradigms. By becoming a doctor, I could use what I learn, and my desire to help others, to serve a higher purpose. I feel plastic surgery is a great way to combine my love for art as well as the privilege of helping others. Medicine combines all my passions: art, science and the humanism. I truly believe making even this smallest, but direct, difference in someone’s life is the greatest gift of all.
