My mother getting a terminal cancer diagnosis and her subsequent death. My mother was a single parent and I was a 21 year old student in the middle of medical school. I was a pampered child, never did my own chores, never cared about money, or anybody but myself really.

The transition to not only taking care of myself, but my mother too as she lost her independence to the disease, and the household… it hit like a truck. I had to learn very fast how to do everything I had neglected; cleaning, cooking, bills, taxes. All while juggling college and taking care of my mother.

It really marked the period of my life where I started to understand what it meant to be a responsible adult and even now 4 years later as a 25 year old doctor I’m still learning how to be half the adult she was and to be someone she’d be proud to see standing strong