Member-only story

From Scratch: the memoir and Netflix limited series reminded me that stories have a silent, powerful impact on our lives

Stories have a silent, powerful impact on our lives, emotions, and actions. I found myself ugly-crying at a series I was led to believe was a run-of-the-mill Italian love story. I was met with a very poignant, honest, and beautiful story of love, family drama, and grief. I did not think I could relate to a family grieving the slow death of a loved one, but WHO AM I KIDDING!? My family lost a grandmother and an uncle and powered through my two strokes, my uncle’s stroke, and a cancer diagnosis in two years. It was rough. It’s still rough. When I watched Zoe Saldana and Danielle Deadwyler grieve, fight and break down cyclically, I felt a soft nudge of understanding and a gentle gut-wrenching feeling recognizing the expression of grief I saw in my mom and dad (and me) during our terrible two years and from past family deaths and tragedies. It was a similar mixture of devastation and worry punctuated with small moments of happiness. It’s awful to watch but even more horrible to experience. My Dad, who also loved it even though he won’t admit it, kept saying, “Can he just catch a break?” We had second-hand emotional exhaustion from their strife.
It also reminded me of my past interracial relationships, but fortunately, I never received negative treatment. I critiqued how she navigated merging her and her husband’s cultures. At the same time, I understood her clumsiness in the relationship regarding their opposite races. Still, then again…

--

--

Signed Out: How my two strokes signed me out of my painstakingly planned medical education
Signed Out: How my two strokes signed me out of my painstakingly planned medical education

Published in Signed Out: How my two strokes signed me out of my painstakingly planned medical education

I had two strokes during medical school. Let’s talk about one and what I learned about life along the way.

AW
AW

Written by AW

I'm a 4th year medical student recovering from two strokes. I'm here navigating my new life & life in general. come follow me! join me! It'll be an adventure!

No responses yet