Words can’t express how hard I worked, the sacrifices I made, and the difficult journey I had with my own health my entire time as a medical student. The many times I asked God for strength to continue this dream when there seemed to be no hope.
I told my mom when I graduated it wouldn’t be me walking across the stage, it would be both of us. She is without a doubt the reason why I was able to continue on. She was my hands, eyes, voice, feet, when I couldn’t use them. She bathed, dressed and fed me. She never left me during any of my hospital stays. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a selfless, loving and supportive mother.
I wish graduation wasn’t cancelled. All I wanted was my dad to be able to see me walk across the stage as the first doctor in our family. I wanted him to witness that all the sacrifices he has made to give us the best opportunity to get an education didn’t go in vain. That’s what made going through what I went through much easier, seeing him work so hard through conditions that sometimes weren’t ideal, yet never complaining. I too tried to never complain and instead work as hard as he did.
God placed this profession in my heart when I was little and I thank Him for the strength He has given me each day. I thank everyone who has prayed for me, my friends who visited me in the hospital, checked on me, everyone who has been involved in my medical care in some way, to all my mentors and sponsors, my brother who used to help take care of me and to my angel Azriel 👼🏻 who left us too soon, but gave me a reason to live.
And to all my grandparents in Heaven I hope you are looking down proud of your granddaughter. She did it, she finally did it. –@claudiaimartinez