As

I stepped into the house, I thanked my best friends mom for picking me up from
basketball practice a task that my mom, having seven children to look after, frequently failed
to accomplish. Nathans mom replied, Youre welcome, sweetie. I would do anything for you.
Being a young, nave grade school kid, this statement confused me. I asked myself why would
Nathans mom help me? Someone she only knows to be her sons friend - someone she really
didnt even know that well. I quickly questioned Mrs. Ratchford and her reply amazed me. Mrs.
Ratchford said, Joe, if it wasnt for your dad, my sister wouldnt be alive. He removed a retainer
from her throat. My dad is an otolaryngologist. Time and time again I heard stories about life
savings operations that my dad had performed from teachers, family, and friends. And it was
stories like Mrs. Ratchfords that first evoked my interest for the medical profession.
As a child, however, medicine was never a subject around the home. My father didnt
speak of his profession much, not because he didnt enjoy it, but because he didnt want to push
any of his children in a direction they didn't want to go in. Instead, my father, as well as my
mother, pushed us to work hard in school and in life. I believe my dad took the phrase work
hard too literal because I often found myself shoveling horse manure, building fences, cutting
grass, and taking care of the pool. I can recall summer mornings when my mom barged into my
bedroom only to say, Joe, wake up. Dad wants you to walk around the yard and pick up rocks.
While these activities were hard work, they showed me how to work hard. I learned that
working hard takes effort, patience, diligence, and attention to detail. I frequently find myself
using these skills whether it be studying for the next big exam or washing dishes in a local
restaurant. Ive learned to put my all into every task, because, as my dad instructed me, if youre
going to do something, do it right. The lessons in my childhood allowed me to develop some of
the skillsets required to excel in life. However, these lessons did not inspire, only informed.
The inspiration to pursue a career in medicine came just a few years ago. Coming from a
large, close-knit family, all holidays were celebrated at a relatives house. On one particular
holiday, my uncle Carmen, a general practitioner, was not himself. He seemed lost and distant.
Growing up, my uncle was always the life of the party. Often times my family would compare
him to Jim Carrey, a comedic actor, due to his ridiculous impressions and actions. I figured that
his fluctuations in personality were due to his recent lifestyle changes. He had just purchased a
house, two new cars, and closed his office doors to become the president of a local hospital a
job he ultimately did not receive. His wife, Mary, had recently retired from her job as a
receptionist. Without a job and the bills piling up, it was clear that Carmens financial situation
had taken a toll on him. However, it was discovered a short while later that he was suffering
from dementia.

Carmen had five children scattered throughout the country pursuing their own dreams.
Upon his diagnosis, his children came to visit briefly, before leaving to resume their lives. Mary
began a new job, probably one of the hardest jobs she has ever had, caring for her husband.
Still, with no income, Carmen and Mary were forced to sell their home, their cars, and move. I
was deeply saddened by the situation. Carmen, a man who devoted his life to helping others,
was now helpless. I thought surely there must be something that could be done to help him, but
there wasnt.
Taking care of a sick individual is easier said then done. Ive watched my mom, day after
day, care for my grandmother over the last few years of her life. My grandmother was confined
to a wheelchair, legally blind, and suffering from congestive heart failure. How my mother took
care of her mother, her children, and herself for so many years I will never know. What I do
know is that my mother taught me to put others first, as she had done. In college, I found myself
doing just that. I would often organize study groups with peers at the library, not for myself, but
for them. I would frequently stop my studying to help someone else, from helping a student

with organic chemistry during finals week, a class I had already completed, to trekking to the
library at two in the morning in the blistering cold to help another for a biology exam. However,
this form of help does not stand up to those who devote their lives to helping others.
Both of my parents gave me the tools to excel in life. While my father taught me how to
work hard, it was, oddly enough, my mother who showed me how to care for others. In May, I
traveled to Honduras building restrooms and educating children of impoverished communities.
Honduras gave me a feeling of happiness and satisfaction that I had never felt before. As I left, I
knew that caring for others is what I wanted to do. And so, it is my dream to be able to not only
prolong, but also save lives as my father has done. It is my dream to care for those who are
helpless, as Mary has done. And most of all, it is my dream to put others before myself, as my
mother has done.