My Childhood

My Childhood

As a child, I remember sitting in the car with my sister as dad drove to a place with several people and a massive building. My mom stood outside in a uniform waiting for us with a comforting smile on her face every time she saw us. When I turned 8, I realized that the huge building I had seen all my life was a hospital and that my mom was a nurse. Until I was 10, I didn’t realize that a world of doctors existed. Since, my mom was the only one to deal with medicines in our house, I considered her a ‘great healer”. Our families and neighbors treated my mom as a doctor because they came to her when they were sick and for medical advices. Therefore, I didn’t understand the difference between a doctor and a nurse, until my visit to my friend’s mom, an ENT specialist. My belief that my mom was the ‘great healer’ was challenged when this lady removed a pencil lead from my ear. As a result, my desire to become a doctor began to emerge. Both ethical and religious motivations have directed me to help the needy as a doctor. As I grew older, the numerous visits to India, church charity works and volunteering at Phelps Memorial Hospital have exposed me to various people who needed medical attention. These experiences are the invaluable assets that molded my character and interest in choosing a medical career. These experiences taught me to develop a compassionate and respectful attitude towards patients and everyone in general. Realizing the medical conditions of the destitute around the world has honed my goal and desire to become a physician, and serve those in need by providing for them medically.