Beloved

I spent some time working on a personal statement. Maybe its ______, maybe it is _____________, but I'd like to share it with you. I'll be in Providence for the week, if anyone is reading this and wants to hang out.

In 2004, my good friend Emily asked me to be with her in the hospital when she gave birth to her son. She had expressed a great deal of concern during her pregnancy about the pain of childbirth, and she feared she would somehow fail at the immense task before her. During her difficult labor, which lasted more than thirty hours, friends and family did our best to encourage Emily, but it was clear to everyone in the room that the support of her midwife was helping her most of all. This woman was experienced enough to provide Emily with several coping techniques and comfort measures, and her expertise was a source of endurance and calm. She addressed Emily with a tone that was always respectful, yet she knew how to be assertive when Emily needed structure. Most importantly, she refused to give up on Emily, even when my incredibly exhausted friend wanted to give up on herself. Reflecting on the experience afterwards, I realized that the ordeal of childbirth allowed Emily to tap into a strength she had not known she possessed, and that her guide in finding this strength was her midwife.
I keep the memory of that experience with me in my journey into health care. My experiences in midwifery training were my first insight to anatomy, physiology, and the many processes of the childbearing years. As I have learned, my interests have grown beyond the scope of midwifery into the fields of medicine. My background in midwifery forms the foundation of my philosophy of health care, and helps to guide me as I work toward becoming a doctor. I have learned to see health care as a way to guide patients to their own strength. My dearest goal in becoming a doctor is to focus my life’s full energy on this purpose, for, in the words of Gwendolyn Brooks, “we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”