I really enjoyed the recording of the exhibition night. I thought it was so special that so many people’s stories, specific or not, were being told through the students’ writings. The event also brought out into the open many of the problems and judgements currently going on within the medical community. For example, in Reuben’s story he talked about how he was unable to pursue a part of the rotation for the OBGYN position of a male nurse because he was a male. He was discriminated against because of his gender, but he used that and created a beautiful piece that was able to bring any listener into the moment of what those women were feeling with their PPD. I thought it was really cool how he took bits and pieces of what real women he spoke to felt and turned it into something that really showcases those emotions to a broader audience. I was also really able to connect with the piece that Maggie the medical student wrote about finding out her mother had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Despite her mother being a healthy woman, she had quite a few tumors and blood clots. My family received the exact same news for my uncle last year who is also quite healthy. I think that the pieces that these students write are also important to the extent that they can touch many other people’s lives, whether it be through similar experiences or just strong feelings for the subjects within the writings. Hearing so many perspectives from patients throughout the essays, poems, and theses makes my drive for becoming the best doctor I can be even stronger. I hope that those planning to become doctors will show empathy towards their patients and treat each one like their sicknesses matter to the utmost extent. The experiences that Lang shared through her writing were also very touching. It was really neat to get a better understanding of how other cultures/ethnicities go through mental health challenges and learning Asian Americans are one of the most likely ethnicities to not seek help for their mental health shocked me quite a bit. As May is mental health month, I completely agree with the statement that Lang said: “even though I can’t force my mom to seek medical attention, I can share her narrative.” The most that anyone can do is raise awareness for mental health so others feel more confident seeking help. A really good friend of mine committed suicide in January, and as much as we all wish we could have helped him, the only way to help him now is raise awareness and be there for others. I know it takes a lot of gut to share their own personal stories to many people that they do not even know, but now many other people will be able to feel a bit more at ease about some of their situations knowing that others are having the same struggles. I really respect the writers that are expressing and bringing to the forefront the problems that need to be changed within the medical community and hopefully future doctors will help implement those changes.
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“About.” Texas A&M Health Humanities. 2017, https://healthhumanities.sites.tamu.edu/about/.