BEING A DOCTOR

Doc Engrasia told us about a book she read and one of the stories found in this book (it’s a book for doctors or something). There’s this group of people that go to different places all over the world, helping out people such as giving them medical help for free. I was aware that such an organization existed, but I admittedly don’t know much about it (but I’d love to join in the future). Anyway, this organization managed to convince this really famous – international fame – yet arrogant plastic surgeon, the best in his field. This surgeon wasn’t too happy about going to Latin America to do surgery for this organization, yet he went there. His assigned patient was someone named Imelda (no relation to our Imeldific) who had a hair lip and palate.

Fyi, hair lip and palate is an anomaly of the face where there is no fusion between certain areas, resulting in a split lip, up to the bottom of the nose, as well as inside the mouth.

Anyway, Famous Surgeon was immediately grossed out by Imelda’s appearance. Let’s face it, a split face ain’t a pretty sight. Imelda, meanwhile, was gushing about how much she was looking forward to the surgery because the only thing she has wanted all her life was to undergo plastic surgery but was too poor to do so. Famous Surgeon did the surgery and, sadly, Imelda died on the operating table due to no fault of the surgeon. Sometimes, things just happen on the operating table that the doctor has no control over and is of no fault of the surgeon. It is the job of the head surgeon to inform the family of what occurred and this Famous Surgeon did. Instead of blaming the doctor, the mother instead said that she understood and that she was glad because Imelda was getting her wish. Imelda’s mother said that Imelda’s only wish in life was to die beautiful. This affected Famous Surgeon and he went back to the operating room and finished the surgery, thereby doing the best job he has ever done before (coz there’s a way to sew up operations without the stitches being seen). Imelda left the operating table beautiful and Famous Surgeon went back to American a humbler man.

I always said that life was not worth living if you weren’t able to touch at least one person’s life in a positive way. Ever since I could remember, I’ve wanted to be a doctor and I initially chose that profession not for that reasons, but because I wanted to help. Wanting to make a difference in another’s life came with age. When I underwent one those, “why are we alive?” etc stages of questions in my lives.

I am glad I chose to be a doctor, even if sometimes things are so hard that I have to struggle with my lessons and sometimes remind myself that this is what I want. There was only once in my life when I doubted my chosen profession, yet even that passed and I truly enjoy the things I go through, no matter how difficult and challenging it may be. And even if I may not be up to it, I persevere because this is what I want! I trust that things will turn out right in the end.

There are some who chooses to be a doctor because they want to be rich, and while the monetary compensations is definitely a job perk, I realize that the one thing my profession has that no other has is… survival. No matter what happens, no matter what corner of the world I am, I am always needed and I can always help. And not only that, I will never starve. And I don’t think I’ll have to look for shelter either, if ever worse comes to worse. Noble profession, they call it, because you give of your self 110%, yet the returns are equally great and make things all worth it.

And another quote Doc Engrasia mentioned that I’d like to add here, “There is nothing wrong with an anomalous child, only in an anomalous mind.”