Nihit Mehta submitted 2017-07-26
The hope of a patient
“I was born in the era of Ancient Greeks, when the fickle gods of Mount Olympus ruled over this earth. As a gift for my wedding they gave to me a box, one that was never meant to be opened, yet my curiosity got the better of me. One thing leading to another, and all that remained at the very end was hope, a hope for a better world and a brighter future.”
-Pandora
There are different versions of this story, as there are an equal number of different morals to be learnt. To me it speaks about the true nature of hope, how when everything fails it stands as the last bastion of our humanity. It is this very hope-nay, rather my need to share it with my patients; that enticed me toward a physician’s career.
My introduction to this hope came at a very young age, when I suffered from chronic cold and flu that demanded constant visits to the Emergency Room. With a smile on their face and a caring attitude, to me the physicians I saw eclipsed the whole of their profession. their hope for me to lead a healthy life, not only made me determined to break away from these cycles of illness, but also planted the seeds of a medical career within me.
By the time I graduated from high school and began college, I’d decided to cultivate and further my interest in the medical field by shadowing physicians. One memorable event that strengthened my resolve for a career in medicine occurred while I was shadowing. Upon delivering an unexpected diagnosis of cancer to an elderly man, the physician gave him and his wife reassurances about a possible recovery through treatment. When I remember that day, I remember it not for their horror-stricken faces, but for the hope that a kind physician gave to this troubled family.
Then after graduating from college I began taking MCAT classes at night, while simultaneously working as a tutor for the Education Outreach Program at my institution. Additionally, I participated in creating a website and a club on my college campus, which had a primary focus to assist Pre-Meds. Our mission with them was to educate members in the basic requirements of a pre-med curriculum, thus helping them avoid some of the common pitfalls.
Through perseverance I have gained the right to hope, that someday I’ll join the ranks of this noble profession. Working in emergency rooms within under-served communities, conveying my patients the same hope, a physician once gave to me. After all, it was hope that was left in Pandora’s Box and its hope that allows me to dream of being a great physician…