From Storms to Steeples: Finding a Church in Cincinnati

When I moved to New Orleans, I knew no one, had no contacts, or any sort of safety net to rely on. So when I was told I had to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav my plan was to drive north until I was out of the path of the storm. But my parents put me in touch with some doctor friends of theirs in Baton Rouge just a few hours away. While it was still in the path of the Hurricane it was outside of the flood zone of the New Orleans levies. The Hurricane hit for about two days. There was sustained winds of 63 mph and gusts of 90 mph, and was named the worst hurricane to hit Baton Rouge on record.

 These first few weeks in Cincinnati have been a stark contrast to the beginnings of my New Orleans adventure. Not only did I have an old friend already established in the city, but once again the people of the midwest proved to be some of the most welcoming I have experienced. I found it was easy to build friendships with my classmates, doctors, and professors in the area.

In contrast to my first few years in Minnesota, I was able to find a good church almost immediately through my friend. In Minnesota I went to Bethlehem Baptist for one semester and then spent the next two semesters church hopping and never really settling down to build relationships. I was constantly looking for a place that would be a better fit. Not being able to find a comparison to the teaching of the word by John Piper's, I finally settled back at Bethlehem for my remaining years in Minneapolis. In Cincinnati I decided to find a church and stick with it, and after the warm reception I received at Faith Presbyterian, I decided I would make it my home church while I attend medical school.

Faith Pres is an ideal place for me to attend church. There are several doctors from UC that attend there as well as musicians attending the conservatory. I even met a man who was in the 101st Airborne division in the Army during the Korean War and the beginning of Vietnam. There are several generations of people worshipping together, and the affects the gospel are apparent in the lives of the members.

A Decision for Medicine: AMCAS Essay

I thought I would take a break from the normal posting and post the essay I used on my AMCAS application it gives a very broad view of my background and may be useful to those applying to medical school as a sample essay. I will also be posting some of my secondary essays as there is a lack of good examples of answers to other questions that medical schools may ask.

While working in the emergency room, in July of 2005, a woman was brought in with a gunshot wound to the left side of her abdomen. After no pulse was found I was given the order to begin compressions. Dr. Treat, the trauma surgeon, slipped in a central line while the nurses attached the rapid infusion set and began administering whole blood. After about ten minutes of CPR and defibrillation her pulse was restored, and she was rushed to the operating room where the emergency team left her.

As I walked away from the emergency room I began to reflect on the people and experiences that influenced my decision to pursue a career in medicine. I remember waiting to play the first note of a Chopin Etude at my freshman piano recital. My heart was pounding and my hands began to sweat. I felt the eyes of the audience staring at me. As the music soared the audience seemed to fade until I finished the last note. I stood the audience rose in a chorus of applause. I felt great joy, pride, and a little relieved when my piece was finished. Following my bow, I rose with a new found confidence in my abilities obtained from years of practice. As a musician, I developed confidence, persistence, discipline, and a unique attention to detail without losing the broader scope of the masterpiece. These skills have complemented my path in biology, and I will use them to accomplish my goal of becoming a doctor.

In college, I used the discipline I learned from years of playing the piano in my study of biology, volunteering in the inner city of Minneapolis, working night security in the dorms, and researching in genetics. Although music was instrumental in developing my aptitude to complete these undertakings, a number of factors helped to direct my decision to pursue medicine as a career. It was the development of three loves in me: my love for science, my love for people in need, and my love for the medical profession.

My freshman biology class taught by Dr. Bruce Simat first inspired my love for science. It opened a world to me where even the simplest carbon based molecules became a source of wonder. I further developed my love for science through research in genetics as an undergraduate and in cellular neuroscience as a graduate student at Tulane University. Research added a new dimension of independent study to my enthusiasm for biology.

Dr. Simat ignited not only my interest in biology but also my love for people in need. He continually challenged his students to contribute and to make a difference in the world. I first contributed to the city of Minneapolis through Streetlight and soon after, by a mission trip to Trinidad in January 2004. On that trip I first experienced direct patient care. Our team excitedly walked into an orphanage, and immediately, I noticed something different and unfamiliar about the strange shabby room and the children that stood along the far wall. These children were all victims the AIDS epidemic. The children were silent; not one dared to be the first to say hello to these strange white-skinned people. I could see they had been starved for more than medical attention; they longed for human touch and compassion. I saw it most in the yellow eyes of Rasha, a skinny black boy, who clasped his arms around my neck within seconds of speaking with him. He was the only one from the group that was suffering from full blown AIDS. Their low living standards and lack of basic medical care was heartbreaking.

My decision to become a doctor finally came from my love for the profession. Working in the emergency room at Fairview Hospital and with mentally and physically disabled men at ACR Homes I experienced patient care first hand. The disabled men I worked with pointed me towards people in great medical need while my work in the emergency room connected me with a career as a physician. My love for the medical profession was deepened the day I spent shadowing Dr. Thelander, a surgeon at the hospital where I worked. I was able to be with him on patient rounds and observe him at work in the operating room. Watching him, I fell in love with patient care. He taught me about dictations, CAT scans, x-rays, and each surgery he did including why it was done. But the best lesson I took away from the experience was his impeccable bedside manner. It appeared as though he loved and respected each of his patients and was interested in treating the entire person not merely the disease.

Working in the emergency room and Dr. Thelander taught me to love and value the patient, while the children in Trinidad opened my eyes to the fragility of life. Through these experiences I became aware that people still would die, children still would be infected with AIDS, men and women still would be murdered, making the world appear to be a hopeless place. This led me to the conclusion that the goal of a doctor is not only to cure disease but also to enter into a position of servant leadership in the community, and to invest in people's lives, whether in research or patient care. As a pianist serves the spirit of mankind through art, I prefer to become a physician to serve the physical and emotional needs of others through my love for science and my love of the patient.

Medvouc and the Beginnings

Last Friday I had the privilege of training to work at the Medvouc clinic. Medvouc is a student run clinic for the homeless at a shelter. I will be able to be an active participant in the diagnosis and treatment of the men and women living on the streets. At the training I learned to give an intramuscular injection (IM) used for vaccinations, an intradermal injection used for the Tuberculosis test, and a refresher on blood pressure and vital signs. More about this clinic will come when I have started actually working there, but I think it is necessary to mention how I was first interested in the homeless. This is not a short story, but I have made it as brief as possible and will split this story into two posts.

People have asked me how a boy from Cleveland ended up at Northwestern College in Roseville, MN. The simplest answer is Streetlight Ministries. When I first visited Northwestern College in November of 2002, it was because an old friend from California went there, and I thought maybe I would like it as well. I went to a practice piano lesson with one of the teachers and was not overwhelmingly pleased. Although later my teacher in Cleveland Mrs. Kwon begged me to reconsider after hearing me play when I came back.

The friday evening of my visit, I stayed with a guy named Steve, an apparent mathematical genius, who really didn't know what to do with me. He gave me two choices: a football game at the Metrodome and Streetlight. I didn't have any money so I took the free option.

November nights in Minnesota are not a walk in the park. It was about 9 degrees that night and windy. I was not dressed for the weather or prepared for the cold which I grew to love, but I toughed out the night, visited two homeless shelters, and a met some men on the street corner. The connection I made with the ministry was instant. It was not a happy or easy time, but it was joyous.

When I arrived at Northwestern College in August 2003 to attend classes as a biology major I looked forward with great anticipation to the first night of Streetlight. For the next three years I was committed. I made the conscience decision that on friday nights I would be working with the homeless. For the first year I primarily worked with the men on the streets, for the next two years I worked as leader with the students coming each weak, and the last year I helped the leaders.