From Foster Care to Medical School

When I was five years old, my grandparents got me a doctor’s kit for my birthday. At the time, my mother was going through many health issues that required nurses to come into our home on a regular basis. The nurses always left me little kits that I could use to play “surgery” on my baby dolls and I would perform routine check-ups with my “patients” with my kit to make sure they were healing properly. Five-year-old me always wondered what was wrong with my mother and why my treatments weren’t saving her, so I made a promise to myself to go to proper “doctor school” when I was older, so I could help her. Things were never great at home, however. When I was one year old, I was first placed into the social welfare system. I returned home until elementary school in which I was then placed into a new foster home with my two siblings. To most kids, foster care is scary and they’re sad that they can’t see their parents, but I felt safe for once. My mother and step-father were heavy substance users and did not focus much on my well-being and education. I was often the second choice to alcohol and drugs and was continually neglected. From a young age, I was physically and emotionally abused by my step-father and my mother never did anything to stop him. Until I was 18, I was continually in and out of foster care. When I was returned home, the abuse and neglect never stopped. People continuously told me medical school would be not be possible for someone in my circumstance. Despite the discouragement I received, I never let this stop me.

This fall, I submitted my application to medical school. After an intense application process and interview, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine congratulated me and handed me my conditional acceptance letter to the MD program. I was in complete shock and couldn’t believe that my dream was finally coming true. My one major worry going forward was figuring out how I could pay for this with no family financial support.

Currently, I am applying for scholarships and will be applying for government student loans but it will not be nearly enough to cover the entire program. I set my goal as $50,000 in hopes that I can raise anything close to this to help cover at least two years tuition costs. It is truly a burden to have to pay for medical school abroad without any family financial support, hence why I am not able to get a professional loan from the bank.

On top of tuition, I still need to cover other expenses such as:

·      Health insurance

·      Room and board

·      Travel

·      Books and supplies

·      Student fees

I'm not ashamed of my past, as it's made me into the person I am today. I’ve had to deal with guardians who have abused drugs and alcohol as well as being physically and emotionally abused myself. I have worked incredibly hard to overcome these obstacles and have worked so hard through high school and university to pay for everything up until this point. I’m now faced with this harsh reality that I may not be able to achieve my dream because of something as common as money.

I will be attending Poznan University of Medical Sciences. I have family heritage in Eastern Europe and I think it's a great opportunity to learn about my culutral background. Post graduation, I will be writing board exams and applying for residency back in North America. I would like to work in Pediatrics, but this may change upon familirization with other medical specialties. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. The kindness and support I have received from so many of you over the years means the world to me. If you are able to donate anything at all, I would be forever grateful. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.


Thank you,


Corrinna