People often ask me why I want to be a doctor given that I'm not exactly what you'd call the typical medical student. I'm an Agribusiness Management graduate and I already had a managerial postition in a well-off corporation. I was already doing well with my life, why in the world did I have to rock the boat and go completely off course by going into medicine all of a sudden?
Honestly, I don't really answer people with the complete truth when they ask me that. I usually give them a manufactured answer like, "I've always wanted to become a doctor." The truth is, that's not true. Heck, I remember when I was a kid someone asked me what I wanted to be and I said I wanted to be a cashier in a supermarket. When I got a little older, I think it shifted to President of the Philippines. Then after a while I said I wanted to be an actress. In short, I've never always wanted to be a doctor.
However, I do remember when I realized that I wanted to leave my current life to pursue medicine. I was in my room watching television. I had just recently suffered a panic attack and was taking a leave of absence. I was watching David Letterman and Robin Williams was being interviewed. He was describing the heart surgery that he just went through. I don't remember how exactly, but in between one of Robin Williams hilarious anecdotes and David Letterman's conjectures, I realized what I wanted to do with my life, what I really wanted to be: I want to become a doctor. The moment seemed like it was taken right out of a cheesy television movie. But quite literally, it was like this weight was lifted off my heart and I could breathe again. All of a sudden the cloud hovering over my mind was gone and everything just made sense. And so I took a leap of faith and now I'm enrolled, on my way to get my books and waiting for my new set of uniforms.
I guess it might seem silly to some, even borderline selfish and crazy. But honestly, at this point, I don't really care. I'm on my way to becoming a doctor and with God on my side, I don't think anyone or anything can stop me. Med school, here I come!
