Beloved community,

So many of you responded with generosity four years ago to financially support Paola Koki. You might know that she did earn her masters in public health. Did you also know that she is now working in Washington DC as a data analyst for the DC Health Department?

Karl and I are lucky enough to know another young person who has made a commitment to service in healthcare and she needs all of us, the beloved community, to help her through a challenging moment.

We've known Brittany since she was five years old and, even at five, she wanted to be a doctor. We've heard her speak at her graduation from East Kentwood, watched her receive her diploma at MSU, and eagerly await her graduation from medical school this May. Through it all, she has been a remarkable human: dedicated, hard-working, focused, balanced.

Now Brittany needs a boost.

Karl and I supposed we could just do this ourselves, but frankly, the universe has sent us some messages over the last week and we think it's right to share this opportunity. This kind of giving is personal, immediate, and so, so powerful. We really hope you'll be part of this.

I'll let Brittany make her ask below, adding only this inspiration that has meant so much to me, a letter from the esteemed Nick Cave to a fan named Valerio:

Hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us, and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position either. It is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism. Each redemptive or loving act, as small as you like, Valerio, such as reading to your little boy, or showing him a thing you love, or singing him a song, or putting on his shoes, keeps the devil down in the hole. It says the world and its inhabitants have value and are worth defending. It says the world is worth believing in. In time, we come to find that it is so.

Meet Brittany:

My name is Brittany. I am a medical student preparing for what is truly my last attempt at taking and passing COMLEX Level 2 — the board exam I must complete to graduate. I have spent years working toward this dream, and I am so close, but this exam stands between me and becoming the first doctor in my family.

I grew up with a single mom, and getting here has never been easy. I’ve worked multiple jobs, taken a long and nontraditional path, and carried this dream with me through every setback. I also live with auDHD (autism and ADHD), which makes standardized exams extremely difficult. I have tried to secure testing accommodations, but I have been unsuccessful, and the emotional and financial weight of that has been overwhelming.

I am pursuing one-on-one tutoring — 20 hours costs $2,700, and I do not have the means to pay for it alone. This tutoring is my last real chance to prepare in a way that works for my brain and gives me a fair shot at passing.

If you are able to donate or simply share my story, it would mean more than I can express. Your support helps me stay in this fight, graduate, and become a doctor who cares for patients who have felt overlooked, unheard, or like they did not belong — because I know what that feels like.

Thank you for helping me hold onto this dream.

Best Regards,

​Brittany Childs, MPH

OMS IV - RUSP Scholar - Brentwood Foundation Community Physician Scholar (fka Physician Diversity Scholars)

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Cleveland