Someday Doctor

When I began telling friends and family that I planned on going to medical school, the first question most of them asked (once they got over the initial shock of the declaration) was, “What kind of doctor do you want to be?”

Until now, my answers have been vague and noncommittal, but I think I’m beginning to uncover my path. I realize that I will probably know nothing for sure until my third year of medical school, but right now I’m leaning heavily towards Oncology. Oncology has  been one of the front-runners ever since I started considering medical school years ago, but it hasn’t been until the last couple of days that I’ve started leaning heavily in that direction. In the last several years, I’ve seen some of the most precious people I know affected by Cancer, and I can’t imagine a career that would be more rewarding than joining the fight against this horrible disease and striving to improve the lives of those who are afflicted by it.

A dear friend of mine who recently went through a monumental struggle with Cancer had this to say:

Think about working with Cancer patients. I have been stunned by the compassion and determination of these professionals. They bring smiles, laughter, and most of all Hope to those who find themselves in “the Valley of the Shadow of Death”. They are bright lights in a world of darkness, angels who are able to both rescue those who are helpless and to guide with decency and grace those who will never come out of that valley.

These words really struck a chord with me. Thanks to the hard work of my friend’s doctors, his Cancer has been completely removed. If I’m able to do that for a single person, then I will be able to say that my work on this earth meant something.