Category: My Journey

  • From the OR to the ER

    It’s quite ironic how I tell everyone I want to be a doctor when I grow up but I faint at the smallest drop of blood😅. The cold air hit me as I stepped inside the operating room (OR). Being the first time in shadowing a surgery, I was thrilled and a little apprehensive. Dr.…

  • Donor to Advocate

    The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) three-pillar mission to fund pioneering research, to provide patient care, and to advocate for systemic legislation changes resonates with me. This year, I and other high schoolers across the DC area worked in teams to raise funds and awareness for LLS’s mission. We all have one vision: a world…

  • An Unconventional Christmas Gift

    On the frigid morning of Christmas day, I set out to a local assisted living to help organize activities for the residents like I always do. As I entered the inviting dining hall, the air was redolent with the tantalizing aroma of holiday dishes and the joyful tunes of 50’s Christmas songs. Christmas is a…

  • Youngest Stem Cell Donor at Johns Hopkins Hospital

    In a few hours, the tiny pink stem cells I donated were going to save another person’s life. For that, I, a 13-year-old, became the youngest stem cell donor at Johns Hopkins Hospital. For around six hours, I underwent a procedure called apheresis. For a fancy name, apheresis is actually pretty simple: blood is extracted…