Caring for the Lives

I am not embarrassed of my culture, the place I grew up, or the tongue I am able to speak. However, the thing I am ashamed of is the health care that the people around me are not able to obtain and the health literacy they are not taught. I grew up on the southern most tip of Texas, known as The Rio Grande Valley, about a thirty-minute drive from the border that separates the United States from Mexico. Frequent trips to my family’s homeland, Mexico, growing up, allowed me to observe the poverty on a level that I could never imagine previously, but would never be able to forget.

Withal, I soon realized that the poverty level on the “right side” of the border was not much different than that of Mexico’s. The place that shaped me into the person I am today, that taught me that hard work and determination are two very important values to follow, is a place that lacks of health care. Consequently, a very significant person in my life was a casualty, because of the lack of health literacy and health care. My grandpa, a Mexico native, was the strongest man I knew, worked long hours every day in the hot Texas sun to be able to make ends meet for his family and never once complained about the well oiled machine (his body) that carried him around.

My decision to pursue a career in medicine was not an impulse decision, rather it seems I have always had one foot in that direction. For as long as I can remember my grandpa always told me that I would some day be “una doctora” (“a doctor”). He must have always seen that nurturing and caring intuition in me. I lost my grandpa at the age of six to a massive heart attack. Although that was too young an age to make that lifelong decision to follow medicine, I never forgot his dreams he had for me.

After graduating high school, I spent summer breaks from college, when my course load wasn’t as rigorous, volunteering at local hospitals and shadowing physicians, or anybody that would let me follow them around observing their craft, at a local clinic. I experienced up close the uplifting and fascinating qualities that medicine had to offer. I quickly learned that medicine offered the everlasting exploration of science and the need to approach endlessly changing scenarios while interacting with people from all walks of life.

I was further encouraged and reassured that medicine was what I wanted to pursue, when I had the opportunity to shadow, Dr. Rolando Longoria. Through my time with him I was able to observe the physician-patient relationships he formed with his patients and the trust they confided in him, along with the holistic care he provided his patients. These were some of the many qualities that he possessed that I admired most. This experience opened my eyes to the many facets of the medical community that I had never experienced or observed before. Now, I am even more determined to do exceptional in medical school and to contribute in many ways to the medical profession while caring for the lives of the people around the community I grew up in.

I am completely aware that the path I have chosen is a very long and demanding process. However, the gratitude and satisfaction it will bring will motivate me to put 150 percent of my passion and heart into this lifelong journey. The life I have lived has taught me to face adversity with a firm jaw, and I know there will be plenty of times in medical school that are tough, and I will be pushed to my breaking point. However, I am positive that with my motivation and the loving support of my family, along with the skills I have acquired throughout life, I will become an excellent, caring physician. The problem solving skills along with the requirement to continue education for life fosters a constantly changing environment, and as medicine continues to evolve and grow, I know that I have a lot to offer the medical community and I’m very anxious to be a positive part of so many lives.

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