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- Jun 26, 2009
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Hello everyone,
Ive used SDN for quite a while and its mostly been very helpful. I owe a lot of my success to it. Im currently a OMS-I student at a well established DO school. I am happy and fortunate that I was given this opportunity. But like anything in life, everything comes through hardwork and rigor. My story is no different and with everyone being so anxious and worked up (based on the posts Ive read), I wanted to share my story in an effort to hopefully offer some words of wisdom and encouragement. It will be long but worth it I feel.
I was born in a third world country where medical resources were sparse. One day, being in my mothers arms, 4 medical students came to my mother and said you’re child is very handsome, please take him to a doctor. My mother like any mother got offended and brushed them off. That night my mom and dad decided “what the heck right, lets go to the doctor”. They did and it turned out I had a rare congenital heart defect, Tetrollogy of Fallot. The country I was in, had no cure for it, and hence the doctors said if I had any chance of living, it would be in the USA. My parents sort of gave up on my survival and sadly agreed that this is how I would die. But one day an American client came to my fathers work and told him how “his son was very handsome” after looking at my picture on his desk. My dad started to cry naturally. After discussing my case, it turned out this guy was the VP of a very famous international NGO. He told my dad of this program that sponsors kids on a medical basis based on a lottery. My dad turned my application over and I was selected in the year 1987. I came and got a full repair for my heart and shortly thereafter my sister was born 2 months premature with Downs Syndrome. We then decided to stay here in the USA after the authorities allowed us to.
Growing up was tough, I would take off my shirt in the summer during the hot summer pool days for being judged for my scar tissue. Every year Id have yearly cardiology follow ups and it would mostly be okay.
I decided to pursue a career in IT as I loved fixing things. I did well for the most part but I failed my A+ certification by 1%. Yep and I couldn’t go on to the next level in taking CCNA courses. (This turned out to be the best failure I ever had). I had empty slot in my high school schedule and needed to fill it with something. I took some random “medical technology” course. Here I was taking, and it hit me then that this course was actually fun. I learned a lot. I ended up doing so well that I was selected to go on a field trip to watch a live open heart surgery. I remember talking to the surgeon before and after the procedure and it daunted on me, that doctors really are just ordinary human beings doing extraordinary things. I was hooked, I wanted to do medical school.
Going in undergrad, I did alright, I started off well but fell into the traps of being “stupid and immature “ going after relationships that I knew would not last long. My GPA suffered and I told myself if I needed to correct my defecits I would give myself one last chance the first term of junior year and do well. So I did, I got my act together, became an EMT, club president of many on campus organizations, found meaning in life by helping the underserved through an organization I made with my friends. My GPA wasn’t great but it was not terrible. Now came the MCAT. I started to prep for it, however, my mom suffered from a gall bladder operation at which time my brother was going through a very ugly divorce. Naturally, my MCAT didn’t go as well and I didn’t do good. I sort of decided that lets go to one of the big four overseas schools, SGU in an effort to move the family forward. I started and did very well by completing an MPH, then started my MD. But then soon after, my sister who was born with Downs Syndrome began to get very ill, I came back for her, and in the end she passed away. My parents didn’t take it very well.
I decided the best course of action was to withdraw and seek studies in the USA. So here I am in the USA back, and I met a girl here who I started to date. It was going well, I started to work for the CDC as a Ebola Consultant and pressed on to retake my MCAT and somehow gain an admission somewhere in DO schools. I retook it finally, and did well enough to get accepted into a few DO schools. Believe me it was tough.
In the process, I did get engaged to that girl and life seemed alright. White coat ceremony was awesome. I though finally, light at the end of the tunnel. My first term went well I was in the 20-30% of the class. However, I got pneumonia in the winter season and to go to the ER a few times and then admitted. During this process, the doctors found a some heart issues with my heart referred me to a cardiologist.
In the end they did a exploratory catherization to measure the hemodynamics. Finally it was determined I needed my pulmonary valve changed. They tried to put in a new valve with a second pulmonary valve but it didn’t happen. Hence I had to go on medical leave. This was probably the toughest week of my life. Why?
First week of Feb, I was told I need this my catherization, and the next day my fiancé and I broke up, the third day I was told I need to go medical leave. Lovely I know.
My fiancé and I broke it off because frankly she wasn’t cut out to be with a medical student. She indeed did help me at a hard time but when she went to an overseas trip on vacation, she was sort of doing her own thing and not keeping in touch at a time when I needed her most considering my surgery was coming. When questioned, she said “I cant call you, not even for 5 min, I am tired of my life, you have continual issues, first medical school and now health issues”. The icing on top was how she said “you don’t know how it works, how to respect anything, you don’t even have a sister”, this she was implying about my sister who passed away knew very well it’s a soft point for me. I wasn’t perfect either, I always gave med school my 110% but in the end I came up short on the relationship side of things. Again it wasnt perfect, and relationships will be hard, I mean if you're unlucky like me, youll get to hear crap like "this ring is a POS", talking about the only ring you could afford being a student. Just dont do what I did, and run off to get a second ring.
So as I sit here tonight, I have been given a surgery date in April. I am nervous, worried, and sad. It sucks, but I know it will be okay. I have some of the best surgeons ever. I see a lot students worried about grades, applications, and everything in etbween. To you I say, QUIT WORRYING If you want medical school, it wount be easy, you will either find a way or an excuse, that goes for relationships and med school. If anything, work harder now, because you are cut out for it. So if your GPA went down a little? Work towards enhancing your application in other ways, go talk to admissions folks (I did that and it helped me). Make sure you try to enjoy the process, you will grow to be a better human being because med school (though I did well), isn’t easy. You will come to a point where you want to quit, but then you remember why you started it all. Whatever you believe in, God, the world energies, bought you here, great, just know you have a purpose and you need to make it count. I've been through multiple heart surgeries, a sisters passing, a breaking up of my relationship, but I still stand here because medicine is where I belong.
I have a lot of time right now, so if anyone wants to vent, talk, get advice, feel free to PM me. I want to pay it forward somehow to SDN. This place did a lot for me.
Remember never give up, the road isn’t easy but its worth it, especially when you get that white coat. Good luck.
Shout out to @Goro , this amazing person gave me a lot of advice. I am in medical school because of this person and proud to call him a good friend.
“You didn’t come this far, to only come this far”
Ive used SDN for quite a while and its mostly been very helpful. I owe a lot of my success to it. Im currently a OMS-I student at a well established DO school. I am happy and fortunate that I was given this opportunity. But like anything in life, everything comes through hardwork and rigor. My story is no different and with everyone being so anxious and worked up (based on the posts Ive read), I wanted to share my story in an effort to hopefully offer some words of wisdom and encouragement. It will be long but worth it I feel.
I was born in a third world country where medical resources were sparse. One day, being in my mothers arms, 4 medical students came to my mother and said you’re child is very handsome, please take him to a doctor. My mother like any mother got offended and brushed them off. That night my mom and dad decided “what the heck right, lets go to the doctor”. They did and it turned out I had a rare congenital heart defect, Tetrollogy of Fallot. The country I was in, had no cure for it, and hence the doctors said if I had any chance of living, it would be in the USA. My parents sort of gave up on my survival and sadly agreed that this is how I would die. But one day an American client came to my fathers work and told him how “his son was very handsome” after looking at my picture on his desk. My dad started to cry naturally. After discussing my case, it turned out this guy was the VP of a very famous international NGO. He told my dad of this program that sponsors kids on a medical basis based on a lottery. My dad turned my application over and I was selected in the year 1987. I came and got a full repair for my heart and shortly thereafter my sister was born 2 months premature with Downs Syndrome. We then decided to stay here in the USA after the authorities allowed us to.
Growing up was tough, I would take off my shirt in the summer during the hot summer pool days for being judged for my scar tissue. Every year Id have yearly cardiology follow ups and it would mostly be okay.
I decided to pursue a career in IT as I loved fixing things. I did well for the most part but I failed my A+ certification by 1%. Yep and I couldn’t go on to the next level in taking CCNA courses. (This turned out to be the best failure I ever had). I had empty slot in my high school schedule and needed to fill it with something. I took some random “medical technology” course. Here I was taking, and it hit me then that this course was actually fun. I learned a lot. I ended up doing so well that I was selected to go on a field trip to watch a live open heart surgery. I remember talking to the surgeon before and after the procedure and it daunted on me, that doctors really are just ordinary human beings doing extraordinary things. I was hooked, I wanted to do medical school.
Going in undergrad, I did alright, I started off well but fell into the traps of being “stupid and immature “ going after relationships that I knew would not last long. My GPA suffered and I told myself if I needed to correct my defecits I would give myself one last chance the first term of junior year and do well. So I did, I got my act together, became an EMT, club president of many on campus organizations, found meaning in life by helping the underserved through an organization I made with my friends. My GPA wasn’t great but it was not terrible. Now came the MCAT. I started to prep for it, however, my mom suffered from a gall bladder operation at which time my brother was going through a very ugly divorce. Naturally, my MCAT didn’t go as well and I didn’t do good. I sort of decided that lets go to one of the big four overseas schools, SGU in an effort to move the family forward. I started and did very well by completing an MPH, then started my MD. But then soon after, my sister who was born with Downs Syndrome began to get very ill, I came back for her, and in the end she passed away. My parents didn’t take it very well.
I decided the best course of action was to withdraw and seek studies in the USA. So here I am in the USA back, and I met a girl here who I started to date. It was going well, I started to work for the CDC as a Ebola Consultant and pressed on to retake my MCAT and somehow gain an admission somewhere in DO schools. I retook it finally, and did well enough to get accepted into a few DO schools. Believe me it was tough.
In the process, I did get engaged to that girl and life seemed alright. White coat ceremony was awesome. I though finally, light at the end of the tunnel. My first term went well I was in the 20-30% of the class. However, I got pneumonia in the winter season and to go to the ER a few times and then admitted. During this process, the doctors found a some heart issues with my heart referred me to a cardiologist.
In the end they did a exploratory catherization to measure the hemodynamics. Finally it was determined I needed my pulmonary valve changed. They tried to put in a new valve with a second pulmonary valve but it didn’t happen. Hence I had to go on medical leave. This was probably the toughest week of my life. Why?
First week of Feb, I was told I need this my catherization, and the next day my fiancé and I broke up, the third day I was told I need to go medical leave. Lovely I know.
My fiancé and I broke it off because frankly she wasn’t cut out to be with a medical student. She indeed did help me at a hard time but when she went to an overseas trip on vacation, she was sort of doing her own thing and not keeping in touch at a time when I needed her most considering my surgery was coming. When questioned, she said “I cant call you, not even for 5 min, I am tired of my life, you have continual issues, first medical school and now health issues”. The icing on top was how she said “you don’t know how it works, how to respect anything, you don’t even have a sister”, this she was implying about my sister who passed away knew very well it’s a soft point for me. I wasn’t perfect either, I always gave med school my 110% but in the end I came up short on the relationship side of things. Again it wasnt perfect, and relationships will be hard, I mean if you're unlucky like me, youll get to hear crap like "this ring is a POS", talking about the only ring you could afford being a student. Just dont do what I did, and run off to get a second ring.
So as I sit here tonight, I have been given a surgery date in April. I am nervous, worried, and sad. It sucks, but I know it will be okay. I have some of the best surgeons ever. I see a lot students worried about grades, applications, and everything in etbween. To you I say, QUIT WORRYING If you want medical school, it wount be easy, you will either find a way or an excuse, that goes for relationships and med school. If anything, work harder now, because you are cut out for it. So if your GPA went down a little? Work towards enhancing your application in other ways, go talk to admissions folks (I did that and it helped me). Make sure you try to enjoy the process, you will grow to be a better human being because med school (though I did well), isn’t easy. You will come to a point where you want to quit, but then you remember why you started it all. Whatever you believe in, God, the world energies, bought you here, great, just know you have a purpose and you need to make it count. I've been through multiple heart surgeries, a sisters passing, a breaking up of my relationship, but I still stand here because medicine is where I belong.
I have a lot of time right now, so if anyone wants to vent, talk, get advice, feel free to PM me. I want to pay it forward somehow to SDN. This place did a lot for me.
Remember never give up, the road isn’t easy but its worth it, especially when you get that white coat. Good luck.
Shout out to @Goro , this amazing person gave me a lot of advice. I am in medical school because of this person and proud to call him a good friend.
“You didn’t come this far, to only come this far”
