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Personal Statement Of Freedom

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The winds were ferocious. The temperature below freezing. Each step made it more and more difficult to breath as my heart beat faster and faster yearning for oxygen. We had made the grueling ascent towards the peak in the middle of the night, hiking for hours in pitch-black darkness with the light of our headlamps illuminating only a few feet in front of us. We trekked for five and a half days to finally reach Uhuru peak, the glacier covered summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Uhuru means “freedom” in Swahili, and I truly felt free. I will always remember taking in the serene view with my Dad as we triumphantly stood 19,341 feet up in the sky. Shortly after our trip, my dad suffered a heart arrhythmia. Fortunately, he survived but to this day he …show more content…

It was disheartening to see Victor severely crippled by his illness and his altered reality; however, I was eager to help him and contribute alongside my team to figure out a treatment plan. It was amazing to see Victor’s transformation over the next few days as the antipsychotic began to work on his delusions. I recall walking onto the unit one morning and seeing Victor standing in the hallway as he headed towards the dining room for breakfast. To my surprise he was up out of his room and eating. It was incredible to see a severely debilitated patient slowly regain his life and freedom with time and proper treatment. Working with Victor and the spectrum of patients in the psychiatric ward really affirmed that this is the aspect of medicine where I want to strive to make an impact. I am confident that I possess the patience and humility necessary to help patients during the worst phases of their mental illness. Whether they are angry, depressed, demanding, yelling, or fearful. Whether it is in the addiction unit with a patient who has overdosed, or in the inpatient unit with a patient suffering a manic episode, I feel confident that I am able to treat each patient with compassion as human beings and without judgment. Working with Victor and his mental illness, and making a positive impact in his life gave me more satisfaction and joy than any of my other rotations. A specialty in psychiatry is a good fit

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