Personal Narrative: Dr. Elliott

There have been many doctors in my life who have impacted me: my grandfather, my uncle, Dr. Elliott, and others have taught me important values and lessons not through words but through actions. In particular, I will always remember Dr. Elliott.

I had broken my arm and was desperately in need of an x-ray. At the time, my father was writing his dissertation and had recently lost his job as a chaplain, and my mother was unemployed. When my father worked as a chaplain, my family received health insurance. My mother ensured that we took full advantage of this benefit, so she always took me and my brother to Cook Children’s Hospital for routine checkups. I loved going to the hospital, unlike most other children, because of all the things to do …show more content…
I could barely go about my normal routine without feeling excruciating pain shooting through my body and setting me on fire. Finally, I could not bear it any longer, and my mother decided it was time to take me to the hospital. We hadn’t been to Cook Children’s Hospital for several months, and when my mother and I showed up out of the blue, Dr. Elliott knew something was odd. He checked my arm and then proceeded as he always did. In a time of financial straits, he provided me with the best available treatment with no questions asked. Afterward when my mother worriedly asked about the bill, Dr. Elliott told her not to worry about it. Every visit thereafter was marked as a revisit and we were never again charged for another hospital visit. To this day, I never knew how Dr. Elliott found out about our situation, but the care that Dr. Elliott provided for us was undeserved and a gift of grace. I cannot explain the amount of generosity he provided in words, but I decided from that point on I wanted to replicate the same kindness to others. This sparked my interest not only in medicine, but also in health care financing and …show more content…
My parents recognized the importance of seizing opportunities and considering every option. They set out to ensure that I would be able to do this. I learned to play the violin and piano through private lessons, learned to play soccer, basketball and tennis, learned how to swim, took part in Cub Scouts, attended Korean School for many years, traveled to foreign countries such as Nicaragua to help those less fortunate than me and much more, all painstakingly paid for by my poor but hardworking parents. The sole purpose of getting involved in all these activities was so that I could explore my options, but my goals and aims were immutable. However, the time committed to these activities was not in vain, because every single activity that I have participated in has helped develop me into the special person that I am today. From music, I learned responsibility by maintaining my instrument, time management, patience, perseverance from taking the time and effort to work through difficult sections of music. From sports, I learned teamwork and accountability, and that mistakes are natural and make me better. From Korean School and learning another language, I learned how to communicate and listen more effectively and how to be more open-minded to other cultures. From Cub Scouts, I learned about the importance of values and service. From missions, I learned not