“I was at a crossroads about what to do with the rest of my life.”

For many years, this patient has avoided confrontation in pursuit of peace.

“I wonder if these medical professionals, in caring for people who face such insurmountable odds, walk around all the time carrying this weight I’m hauling now.”

His empathy only reminded him that he could not help those in pain.

He had been trying to cope with the grief ever since and was on a quest for soul-searching and meaning-making.

She spoke about the ways this traumatic event shaped who she is today: a person with an “unshakeable peace” born of deep faith,

"I don’t know what I’m doing,” but this time, she admonished the negative self-talk.

She wanted to help people feel comfortable and transform the shame around colon issues. "I want to talk about things that matter, the things people don't want to discuss.

"Death, in many ways, ignites new life for the ones left behind."

When we met, she was coming off a stretch of nine 14-hour shifts. She was tired but in good spirits.

Residency was challenging, and there were times when it felt chaotic.

She reflected on how her resilience was born from moments of shared mirth amid life's trying chapters.

“Life is complex and dirty, but digging in is important to me,” she said. “Maybe if more of us understood history, we could understand each other better.”

We are expected to research, contribute to scholarship,  earn grants – all on our own time.

We are expected to research, contribute to scholarship,  earn grants – all on our own time.

Every day, I try to see through the patient lens, and I ask: what can we do to change this broken system?

He had been a primary caregiver for his father, doing all the hard tasks

She was very proud of her daughter and has hopes for “a bright future that’s as pain free as possible”

“I’m trying to focus on doing little things to make people feel better during everything that’s going on in the world,” she told me.

“It’s hard to see others struggle,” she said. “How can I help with their struggle without struggling myself?”

"I'd tell her it's OK to be loud...it's OK to challenge and to bring all of you into these spaces where no one looks like you..."

She was in the depths of transition and change in this “concentrated time.”

Retired from the military, she was brought back into nursing during the COVID pandemic.

“I'm continuously questioning: did I do it right?" she said. "I’ve always done a good amount of second-guessing, but I’m re-learning how to show up differently.”

"It changed me; It changed the way I look at life," said this woman about her profound experience during her pregnancy.

“I’m not in a good place with everything happening in the world,” this poemee said.

“It’s been more challenging than normal lately,” she said. “I’m only one person. It's a struggle for me to say no, but I can’t do everything that’s being asked of me right now.”

"I've been processing how to make the most of the small amount of life we have to live," said this physician.

"I've been processing how to make the most of the small amount of life we have to live," said this physician.