For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field. Growing up, I had lots of medical problems and was in and out of the hospital. Having the doctors and nurses help me throughout my life inspired me. I wanted to learn about all the different types of materials in the hospitals and all the machines. I was amused by everything in the hospital as a child. Although I was going through lots of medical procedures and appointments, the doctors still made me feel safe. I knew when I grew up, I wanted to be like the nurses and doctors who help people, and give back to the world. 

What first got me interested in being in the medical field was when I was just 4 years old. In December of 2011, I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. I had a malignant tumor on my left kidney which needed to be surgically removed with my kidney. It was around Christmas time when I was in the hospital, and I even had my 4th birthday in the hospital. One specific moment I remember in the hospital is that ‘Santa’ was there and a Christmas gift shop which made it a lot more special to me. I loved how much the hospital did for kids and people in general, and that made me know I definitely wanted to be in the medical field one day. After I had surgery, I had a few months of chemotherapy and even got a Make-A-Wish and my 4-year-old self chose to take my family to Disney. While I was in and out of the hospital, the doctors and nurses always tried their best to keep me positive even with all the negatives going on around me. They inspired me to want to be in the medical field and help people, just like them. 

When I was in 3rd grade, I had a cyst attached to my small intestine that was the size of a small football. That put me in the hospital for around two weeks and it needed to be surgically removed. I remember my parents both staying with me and switching nights since I had to stay in the hospital for two weeks at Albany Med, an hour away from my house. I was still pretty young when I had to stay in the hospital for certain amounts of time, so that’s what made me really interested in the medical field. I remember watching the nurses walk in the hallways and seeing them be so hard working and helping everyone. I was also never scared of  IV’s when I was younger and wanted to learn more about them and how the doctors do them. All these hospital experiences made me want to learn more about everything the doctors and nurses do. 

I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field to give back and help other people in need. I’ve been amazed about how the human body works and I’ve always wanted to learn more about it. I don’t just want to learn all this information to be able to work in a medical field, but also to be able to help people around me. If someone needed care urgently, I would hope that I will be able to help them in some kind of way. It’s always been a childhood dream of mine to be in the medical field. After all the experiences I’ve had, I hope to give back to the people one day.