💬 When I was in elementary school, the only careers I could think of that I really wanted to do was becoming an artist or a musician, because art and music were my favourite subjects in school. However, when I was in grade 8, my music teacher had to leave halfway through the school year to get a surgical procedure done. After I graduated from elementary school, I'd always wanted to go back to the school and visit her, but unfortunately I never had the chance, because I found out that she had passed away from cancer. That was the first time that someone's passing had affected me personally and drove my motivation in medicine. Then went to volunteer at the university hospital, and that's where I found a genuine interest in helping patients. Through my volunteer experience I've been able to see joyful moments, such as when a patient is finally able to go home after a long stay in the inpatient unit, but I've also seen the traumatizing moments such as when a visitor finds their family member has passed away in the emergency room. So far my role as a volunteer has been quite limited, and I realized that I really wanted to take on a more active role in helping patients, whether it's treating them so they can get discharged sooner, or to ease their end-of-life experience. What I've realized is that medicine is something that can really play with your emotions, it's not just about treating an illness but understanding how that illness affects the patient and their families, and that's something that makes you realize what the things are that you value most in your life. This is one aspect of medicine that makes it different from other careers, which is why I decided to pursue a career in medicine.