Coincidence or Effect of Medical School?
It’s been a few weeks since I have returned home after spending two very long years in Australia. Just in these few weeks, I have witnessed the lives of few people around me change after being afflicted with disease. Either it is something that never happened during my previous visits or I just did not think of it that consciously. And I wonder if it is coincidence or my brain, after a year of medical school is making me think about health & sickness more consciously this time around.
One of the story is about a four month old baby who has a brain tumour. This bundle of joy was born as a normal baby, with one odd thing, a massive forehead. A lot of people around me commented on it, including my elder brother. The parents responded by saying it was due to the pillow impacting his soft skull at this age. What else would they say, any parent would say anything to explain it as long as it did not involve thinking their child might have a health condition or something wrong with him. They could only ignore the constant remarks and exclamations for too long and decided to go see a doctor about his forehead to put a stop to the comments and to calm their hearts. The doctor ordered a CT scan of the baby and delivered the terrible news of the brain tumour to the parents. I can’t imagine the pain they must have felt.
Another thing I heard was about a chef who works at one of the restaurants my father owns. He came to work one morning as usual, but after a while he felt dizzy and fainted. He took an off that day to go home and rest. The news of fainting still does not ring that many bells in one’s brains but later that night his housemates rung up my father as the chef was lying on his bed but he was quite unresponsive. After taking him to the hospital, we found out he had actually had a stroke that left the entire right side of his body paralysed. Just like that, he’s lost use of his more able side of the body, his mode of earning a livelihood and control on his own life. Just how easy it is to be left with nothing.
On another note, it is so common to hear stories of people around you falling sick. Not just influenza or the common cold, mind you, but serious illnesses and conditions. Serious health issues impairing their quality of life and everyday living. You never know what life has in store for you, which day might be your last, or which day might bring you to your knees. One thing is for sure though, I have started paying more attention to the health issues of the people around me. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence that I’m witnessing so many these days or an effect of studying medicine that makes me more interested in such scenarios.
But the reason I wanted to write this out is because I find this emotion of hearing stories or watching normal people and their families go through serious health conditions just so…human. And I feel quite blessed to be able to push my life towards a profession where I might witness these things on a regular basis and be able to provide help in addition to prayers.