Scholarship Essay

For many patients with incurable illnesses around the world, the time to stop particular treatments is an ongoing argument. Atul Gawande, a surgeon and staff writer for The New York Times, has been following this debate since his medical practice and strives to inform the public on how to handle mortality. In his article, The Best Possible Day, Gawande employs an anecdote, Ethos, and a eulogy to encourage the audience to consider adjusting a sick person’s care according to how they feel.

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care, the words of Theodore Roosevelt written in the radiology department at Good Samaritan Hospital, where I work as a Radiologic technologist. These words are a constant reminder of why I choose to pursue a career in medicine. Growing up in Haiti, I was an underweight, mal nourished child with a weak immune system. Sick days seemed to occur every other day. In a country with limited resources, I remember traveling with my parents to different towns in search for medicine and the right physician. We would walked miles, but no miles was ever long enough to stop my parents from getting their son the proper treatment. At a young age my parents showed me the true meaning of altruism and empathy, necessary skills needed to make a great physician. Living in poverty can have major consequences on one’s health. I witness this in my own health and those surrounding me. To survive these harsh conditions, as a community we had to stick together, we had to care for one another. We shared everything with our neighbors, from clean drinking water, food supplies, to natural herb treatment and medicine. From observing the change in lives in the community when treatment was provided, I quickly learned to values the benefits of good Health and medicine.

Danielle Maestas June 16, 2015 CCU Application Essay Helping others has always been a core value in my life. I knew, at a very young age, that someday my role in life would be to help others on a daily basis. Over the years, I sought after employment in positions that would satisfy my passion for servanthood. As I got older, I felt like there was more I was capable of doing. My Grandparents have had a remarkable impact on my life. They raised my brother and I for a majority of our lives. In 2009, my Grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was rapidly spreading throughout his body. During the last months of his life I took on the role as his caregiver. At the time I did not have any prior medical training. The ability to care

Well, the day after my mother returned from yet another visit, I found out. Apparently, my grandfather had lung cancer and was in desperate need of IV fluids, but he lacked the resources to fund his treatment at a proper, advanced hospital. Because of the unsuitable care he received, he passed away the day my mother arrived to visit him. This anecdote goes beyond poor timing- it reflects how important access to excellent medical care is a matter of life or death. If my grandfather had more money, or maybe lived closer to places adequate for his health needs, he most likely would still be alive, according to my mother. This one incident has pushed me to want to prevent easily preventable deaths from occurring by providing for disadvantaged populations at a greater risk for it. On the other hand, I have seen how receiving the required medical attention saves lives. My head martial arts instructor was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. While he mostly stopped teaching, he sought the best treatment he could find, which admittedly, was not difficult. The surrounding area has several world-class hospitals with committed and well-trained healthcare

After beginning medical school, I quickly realized that for every one question we could answer there were about a dozen that could not be answered. I delved even deeper into my studies, determined to learn all I could to help my patients to the best of my ability. Suddenly, two of my close family members died, and with this my determination to find answers increased again. Something else awoke within me during the morning of these loved ones, as well. I truly understood what families were going through while watching their loved ones suffering, and my empathy, compassion, and bedside manner became even stronger.

Like most young boys I grew up idolizing sport heroes, racing kids on the playground, and playing sports outside. My teams were the Cowboys, the Astros, and later on in life the Aggies. Consequentially, if you didn’t love Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio than I didn’t really like you. Although most of these decisions were made based upon my brother’s sport interest, I learned to love them in my own way. After all, my brother was the one who I played basketball with, threw the football and baseball with, and eventually the one who inspired my love for A&M and the Aggies. For all my life I can remember wanting to play sports and wanting to watch sports, but around 7th grade when my brother moved off to A&M is when I really started getting the sports bug. Visiting for home games, standing in the

I became captivated by the opportunity to apply my knowledge of the biological and chemical sciences in a way that one day may save a life. Though my interest stems from my experiences, my passion to pursue this field lies elsewhere. Growing up in a family of low socioeconomic status in an area with few sources of acceptable health care, I saw my parents struggle as they aged to provide my siblings and I with a proper education. There were times they would ignore their own illness in order to save funds for an emergency for us. Observing this, I knew that no matter how difficult of a path I picked, regardless if it was pharmaceutical sciences or the medical field, my parents had concurred greater difficulties. Growing under such conditions, I began to realize the disparities in quality of treatments my parents received compared to those who of a higher socioeconomic status. This motivated me to pursue a career where I would be given the chance to offer care to individuals through unbiased views. Of course, there are a plethora of careers that can fulfill this but medicine has presented itself as very unique to me. It promises a lifestyle devoted to empathetic patient care, direct patient interaction, and a boundless opportunity to learn and experience something new. As the end of my undergraduate experience is forthcoming, I look forward to taking on the next phase of my life, endeavoring to join the ranks of tomorrow’s

It was near the end of winter 2005, when my grand-aunt suddenly fell ill. In a short period of time her illness worsened and the doctors informed my family, my grand-aunt only had a couple of months to live. The news was devastating to my family as we watched a vivacious, independent, and outspoken woman, who enjoyed shopping, reading mystery novels and spending time with family become very weak and confined to her bed. Instead of placing my grand-aunt in a hospice facility, my family and I, with the assistance of a hospice nurse cared for my grand-aunt in her home until her passing.

Health care providers are nothing short of heroes, yet they remain humble in their abilities. As a volunteer at a senior living facility, I was humbled each and every day by the patients I cared for, however one moment in particular remains clear. Sadly, one lady had not been able to recognize her daughter for quite some time despite our efforts of looking through old photo albums together. The task seemed hopeless, but I felt deep down that she was making progress. One afternoon as the patient’s daughter walked in, the patiet had a quizzical look upon her aging face. “I know you,” she stated confidently as she rose up to embrace her daughter. My heart leapt with pure happiness as I saw tears of joy begin to fall down the daughter’s face. I believe that never losing faith and remaining positive are important aspects in life and especially in medicine. We worked together to reach this special moment and nothing humbled me more than having played a part in

After a week working in the hospital, I went on home visits with nurses, doctors, nutritionists, psychologists and a monk. The first patient lives in a shabby wooden house. A great contrast could be seen between the room that the patient lives in and the rest of the house. “The patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer with bone metastasis. The room is specially built for him by the hospital and his family. He won’t live long.” A nurse told me. On another visit, I met a man with esophagus cancer.

Each of these individuals took time out of their schedules and consoled with my family. They had explained the treatment plan in detail, precautions, risks, and had answered all of our questions. At the age of thirteen I didn’t understand much of the details the doctors had explained. Although, I knew my father had cancer and he needed to be treated.  I saw my father undergo a thirteen-hour surgery, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chemotherapy and radiation, and rehab. My father was strong enough and defeated cancer. This life experience has influenced me to become a physical therapist because I saw my father undergo physical therapy. By undergoing therapy sessions, he was able to walk on his own without a walker and speak more fluently.  Seeing my dad defeat cancer for the second time, motivates me to work harder and help others going through such situations. I hope I have the opportunity to provide and care for patients and their families as the

Some people don’t know when they will be in the hospital next or how many days they have left. During the legacy unit many movements and people along with their legacies have been explored. The Stand Up For Cancer movement started out of a need for a cure for a cure for cancer and is still going today.

Through each of their struggles I have learned lessons that will help me on my journey to become a physician. My brother’s experience taught me to that every person is different but everyone should be treated as equals. My mother’s experience taught me how to support a person struggling even when it seems there is no tangible solution. And lastly, my father’s experience taught me that every person deserves help and you must seek it even when the world is telling you your problems don’t matter. I believe these life experiences will help me to become a compassionate physician caring for my patients as best as I

I will never forget that fateful day in March 1999 when my family and I went to visit my aunt in the hospital. You see, my aunt had recently visited her doctor regarding a persistent mass on her head, an occurrence that was wholly unconcerning to her and my family. However, much to our dismay, we learned that my aunt had metastatic cancer and would require chemotherapy as soon as possible. I remember every second of that encounter as the doctor explained her disease state, in laymen terms, and the rigor and hardship that chemotherapy would cause. Despite only being in eighth grade, one of the most vivid parts of my recollection was the patience and support that the doctor offered. It was through his support that I felt the fear and uncertainty decrease as our family realized that we would not face this struggle alone. Through this hardship, I realized that medicine was undoubtedly part of my path in life.

When we were together we were invincible, us against the world. I’d look up to him, not only because he was 6’4, but because he was my grandpa. I have clear memories of him picking me up from school, playing old school reggae music during our adventurous car rides. We’d always sing along to our favorites, sometimes turn the music up so loud the people in the cars next to us could hear it. When I would visit his apartment, the familiar smell of drywall and pennies would fill the air. It was my hideaway, my home away from home. My grandpa collected pennies in water jugs. He would say that one day they’d be worth more than just pennies. I loved it there, not only because he had a freezer filled with many flavors of ice cream to which he would often say to me “you can have all you can eat” but because it was our time to bond. For five years it was my mom, my dad, and my grandpa helping me to grow. Those are my favorite people, my role models. Being around my grandpa brought me such comfort and joy.