Personal statement question (stigmatized illness)

[alpacalover2024]

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My grandmother has lived with HIV for almost 30 years and watching her go through treatment in her country of origin (where the disease is heavily stigmatized) and also here in the United States when she would come and stay with my family for extended periods of time was honestly one of my seeds in my why medicine journey. I learned a lot about the value of a physician who makes patients feel comfortable enough to open up about their illness without the stigma of the label of their disease. I would go to quite a few of her appointments just as a source of comfort for her and I witnessed first hand how much more trust she had in the doctors who she felt safe with. I also witnessed how her care could be negatively affected in her country of origin, where she used an anonymous name for prescriptions and even at hospital visits because of how difficult it is to live as an HIV-positive individual there. Going back to our home country two summers ago to help with her cancer treatment after she was diagnosed with it really gave me a first hand look at the differences in the healthcare systems of the two countries and really solidified my decision to be a physician who provides compassionate care. As I am still in the brainstorming process for my personal statement, I wanted to post here to get some feedback on whether I should talk about my grandmother's HIV status at all or if admissions committees would be too uncomfortable with it being discussed. I have my grandmother's permission to write about it if that means anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Goro]

It's not 1986 anymore. Nobody is going to stigmatize your gramma, not even at LUCOM or Loma Linda.

 

[LindaAccepted]

My grandmother has lived with HIV for almost 30 years and watching her go through treatment in her country of origin (where the disease is heavily stigmatized) and also here in the United States when she would come and stay with my family for extended periods of time was honestly one of my seeds in my why medicine journey. I learned a lot about the value of a physician who makes patients feel comfortable enough to open up about their illness without the stigma of the label of their disease. I would go to quite a few of her appointments just as a source of comfort for her and I witnessed first hand how much more trust she had in the doctors who she felt safe with. I also witnessed how her care could be negatively affected in her country of origin, where she used an anonymous name for prescriptions and even at hospital visits because of how difficult it is to live as an HIV-positive individual there. Going back to our home country two summers ago to help with her cancer treatment after she was diagnosed with it really gave me a first hand look at the differences in the healthcare systems of the two countries and really solidified my decision to be a physician who provides compassionate care. As I am still in the brainstorming process for my personal statement, I wanted to post here to get some feedback on whether I should talk about my grandmother's HIV status at all or if admissions committees would be too uncomfortable with it being discussed. I have my grandmother's permission to write about it if that means anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I don't think there is any issue today and in the U.S. about discussion your grandmother's HIV in your personal statement. My caution would be to make sure that while you can certainly discuss the impact of your grandmother's illness and your experiences with her in your essay, you keep the focus of the essay on you and the positive experiences she had with doctors that showed compassion without judgment.