There’s something about helping someone that brings immense joy to yourself and others. Whether it is complimenting someone, performing a kind act, or even saving someone’s life, there are endless ways to be present for people who are in need of help. My dream is to carry on this feeling of joy into my life’s work by being of assistance to others.
Ever since my life was changed by an incident when I was eight years old, I have wanted to become a doctor so I could be there for people who need medical help. People ask me, “What made you want to be a doctor?” and I tell them it all started with this one story. When I was in fourth grade, I remember being so excited about who I wanted to be when I grew up because we had a guest speaker talk about the many incredible careers we could have. However, I was still confused by the myriad of choices that were presented to me that day, so at the time I still really had no idea which career would suit me best. The following day after this career talk, my dad drove me to school and dropped me off. It was just like any other normal day for me. I was just waving goodbye to him, when I noticed that there was a mother and her little girl walking just in front of me. There was something wrong about the mother, however. Her walk was crooked, and she was bent over and very tense, like she was in a lot of pain. As I was looking at her and trying to understand what might be wrong, suddenly the mother clenched her chest with her hand and fell lifelessly to the ground. Her daughter, who was no more than 5 years old, cried out a screeching “MOMMY!” Startled by this little girl’s scream, all of the other kids and parents who were nearby whipped their heads around and ran towards the mother. She was now laying on the ground her eyes closed, her face was pale and her lips a dark purple color, and her limbs were twisted and turned as if she were a rag doll. Time seemed to stop at that moment; everything was quiet and still as everyone stared in terror, not moving a muscle. There was an eerie stillness in the air, except for the sobs of the lifeless mother’s little girl, who was now kneeling beside her. I could hear my heart thumping in my ears. I kept thinking: no one knows what to do, what if she dies, no one is helping, and I don’t know how to help. Just as I thought there was no one to come help this helpless woman lying on the ground, I saw my dad scramble out of the car and ran over to her. My dad has had very little medical training, yet he started administering CPR to the mother. Between frantic breaths and pounding on the woman’s chest, he screamed to me, “Call an ambulance!” I was still watching in horror as my dad compressed the palm of his hands on her chest over and over, helplessly trying to infuse life back into this woman. “Go now!” he screamed again. I sprinted to the car, grabbed his cell phone, and dialed 911. I remember talking to the operator in a shaky voice and trying to convey to the best of my ability what was going on. My voice was trembling so baldy she had me repeat some details a few times. As I heard her say, “The ambulance is on its way,” I put down the phone and went back closer to the mother. I held her daughter’s hand and could feel the energy of how scared she was. All I could think about was the worst-case scenario: what if she died? Where would this precious little girl go? Did she have other family to take care of her?
The ambulance arrived just moments later. As the paramedics were working on the woman, she opened one eye and the color seemed to flush back to her face. Immediately I knew that what my dad did made a difference. She was alive! As they were putting the woman into the ambulance, one of the paramedics took my dad’s hand and shook it, saying, “Thank you. You saved her life!” It felt as if those words had changed me forever. He saved her life! The little girl looked up at me with a smile before they took her away in a waiting car to see her mother. At that exact moment, I knew I wanted to help people who may be threatened with death, and maybe give them a second chance at life. Even as I tell this story now, I still remember each tiny detail as if it were just yesterday. I wished I could have helped this woman, but I was just a little kid and had no idea what to do. Watching my dad’s valiant efforts to save her life provided a shining example to me of the importance of getting involved and making a difference in people’s lives, especially to those who cannot help themselves. This event forever changed my perspective of life and prompted me to pursue a career that involves healing and helping others. I only hope that I can someday be a doctor and serve as a shining example to my own children, who may someday carry on this legacy of saving lives.