I have, in the past year, decided to begin living the dream that I have had since I was a child.
I have always have had an affinity for medicine. I just "knew" I was going to be a doctor. My dad wanted me to get an undergraduate degree in nursing. But, I was going to be a doctor. So, I went to college. A little cocky. I did reasonably well as a "pre-med" student. I took all the biology courses. And chemistry. Oh, and calculus, of course.
Then, Greg Nigh happened. We married and had our family. I set aside my dream to be a mother. Full time. I loved it. My children were and are the greatest joy in my life. But that other dream lingered.
Now I am in my 50's. Was it too late? Probably for medical school. It just takes too much time. Life is so uncertain past 65, when I would just be finishing residency. I guess that is too far to reach. But every time I was at a medical facility, I felt that same excitement. Everything was just so interesting. I wondered how you became a sonography technician. I wondered what the doctor was seeing that told him I had this problem or that. I wanted to know how he knew how to fix it.
So, I applied for a program at a technical school to learn to become a Medical Assistant. I could work in a clinic around medical people. I could be where healers were at work. I could be a part of that process.
I have remembered that I am smart. I have excelled in each of my classes. A friend of mine asked me a question the other day: "You were born to be a student, weren't you?" I just smiled inside. I was. I have always loved the process of learning. It makes me feel alive. I love medicine. I love the human body and understanding how it works. My mind leaps with excitement when I hear medical terms. I love knowing what they mean and the implications they have for health. Some of my fellow students wonder why I know how to pronounce so many of these words. They wonder why I seem to know them. I know some of them, in part, because some of these medical things have happened to me. That is the advantage of not being a 20-something student. I have experienced things that are only academic to many of them!
This week, I will begin my practicum in Urology. I am one step closer to living my dream.
Stay tuned as I work toward attending PA school. It is close. I can almost taste it. Nigh unto life.
