Medical Student in Need to Graduate and Transition

Dear family and friends,

I have a dear friend in need of financial help to complete their medical education. They are an extraordinary individual who has dedicated their life to medicine and despite experiencing several hardships throughout their life, they never gave up and persisted. Here is a part of their exceptional story told through their own words:

“As a child growing up in low-income housing, I would stare through my bedroom window and see more liquor stores than grocery stores. Outside on the streets, I witnessed many of my peers turn to a life of drugs, prostitution, and robbery, while observing profound social and health disparities that affected my family and community. I was raised by a disabled, single mother of four children. My family relied on my mother’s disability checks and food stamps to barely cover our monthly expenses.

From a young age, I vowed to fight against the cycle of poverty prevalent in my community. I decided I would gain an education to break the cycle. Despite the environment and the financial barriers faced, I became a first-generation college graduate. As I did not know of anyone who had gone to college, I sought out my own mentors and advisors for guidance. In addition, the strength of my mother and her providing for me, and my siblings fostered a strong sense of responsibility, empathy, and resilience in me. Growing up, I frequently accompanied my mother as she visited her doctor. Afterward, we would drive to the pharmacy, where she would send me to sign and pick up numerous prescriptions as she was too embarrassed to be seen picking up a large bag. I empathized with her, although I lacked the knowledge to understand her comorbidities and medications. This left me curious. I sought out medical knowledge to help others like her in my community as I went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree, complete graduate coursework and research, and finish medical school. I funded all my studies and living expenses with loans and income earned through various jobs from working as a dormitory janitor to a chemistry teaching assistant.

This year, I witnessed entrenched social disparities and a cycle of poverty and violence while rotating in Washington, DC. I constantly aided the residents in admitting young African American men who would arrive with gunshot wounds and be sent immediately to the operating room for exploratory laparotomies. I helped trauma surgeons as they confronted life and death situations, while they determined with their skills if someone would survive or not. The instances of violence reminded me of the community where I grew up, but now, I have the privilege to be on the other side, where I can actively care for victims.

As a general surgeon, I would aim to address the gap of care between the wealthy and less fortunate individuals. My struggle of working to afford and obtain an education in medicine parallels the experience that people often face in accessing effective and integral healthcare. Overcoming significant barriers as a child, and as a medical student, has given me the tenacity and resilience necessary to continue my medical education and reach my goal of serving as a surgeon in impoverished and vulnerable communities in urban areas, like the environment I grew up and survived in.”

Thank you for your support!