There are few memories that have persistently stuck with me from my childhood up until now. One of these profound memories of mine was the day I received a phone call in high school from a physician letting me know my father was in an almost fatal car accident. His left radial nerve was punctured by a Ford F-150, and since that day, he has lost proper function of his left hand. Amongst the chaos of it all, one single question seemed to run through my mind; it was not “what happened?” but “how could I help?” Since that day, I have strived to pursue the medical career path with an interest in neurology. As a child, I was so intrigued as to how he could lose the mind-body connection from his brain to everything attached to his radius. Along with my father’s accident, my teens were filled with doctor appointments, overnight stays at the hospital, and even surgeries. At only 16, I was having two major MPFL (Medial Patella-Femoral Ligament) knee surgeries. My surgeon finished his surgery knowing he will be able to help me swim again. This made me wonder what it might be like to influence someone’s life in a drastic way, perhaps even save them. That doctor made a difference in my life and in many others, which is ultimately a part of my long-term goal. Along with knee surgeries, I even got salmonella, and had to be admitted into the hospital for eight nights. The strain of salmonella I had in my body was a mutant! My doctor told me it was not one of the big five strains and that scientists have not yet discovered it; this made me realize that there is so much more to discover in the medical world, and when scientists of today and tomorrow discover them, they can impact the world.
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