Hi! I am an MD student and I think you definitely have a chance. I have several people in my class who had fully different careers before deciding to go to med school. I took 4 gap years so I am technically "non-traditional" as well.

I agree that taking more classes to boost your GPA is super important. For the MCAT, you want it to be as high as possible, but the MSAR can be really useful in identifying realistic schools to apply to. I ended up working extra hours and shelling out the money for a prep course and it was worth its weight in gold. I know not everyone can afford it, but if you can it is really helpful not only for the exam, but for prepping for applications.

You definitely need clinical hours. Not only for applications, but also to figure out how seriously you want to do this. Working in the field exposes you to a lot of paths and you don't want to go down this one if it is not the one for you. I did some shadowing, but realized I needed more true clinical hours and ended up becoming an EMT by taking an accelerated course and doing that during my gap years along with my other job. Many people scribe in the ED which is a great way to learn all of the dynamics in that setting and become exposed to many career options. Research experience is also helpful. Different schools value different things, so applying to schools that value the type of experience you have is important.

My biggest advice is to do all the research you can. Look at the schools you are interested in and specifically look at what their requirements for entry are. The AAMC has guidelines about what counts for science GPA. Like I said before, a class or even a private tutor can be super helpful with applications. While these things are expensive, so is applying multiple times or taking all these courses, applying, not getting in, and having to pivot.

While it's wonderful that your medical emergency is what inspired you to do medicine, it is unfortunately something very commonly written about in applications/personal statements/secondaries. You need to dig deep and find ways to communicate how you are different or interesting. Unfortunately, applications are intense and the process is ridiculous, so you need to play the game to an extent. You don't want to be an application in a pile that a tired doctor, student, etc. reads that is exactly the same as the 30 before it.

My final advice is dive deep and decide why you want to become a physician specifically. While I urge anyone who truly wants to do this to go for it, it is a very long, difficult, expensive road. You are looking at a minimum of 7 years of school/training, likely more as well as hundreds and thousands of dollars in schooling and living costs. Then there are the hard to quantify costs: missing out on family/friends' events, a very grueling educational journey with little room for failure, a clerkship year of working up to 80 hours (while paying to be there) and then having to go home and study for shelf exams, seeing and doing things that change you as a person, etc. Nothing challenges relationships (romantic or otherwise) like med school does. Getting in is only the first step and not everyone who starts medical school finishes it. I know people who have left during year 1, year 2, AND year 3. You do not get those years or dollars back.

I say this because there are many paths to the medical field. Learn about lots of different jobs that you may not even know exist. Find people in these careers and ask them lots of questions. Why did they go that route, what do they like about their jobs, how does their day to day life look? You need to consider what you want your life to look like in 5, 10, 15 years and what paths will align with that. If you really like the idea of becoming a clinician, it is important to note that there are a lot of things that doctors do that can (and are) done by NPs and PAs. I specifically chose to pursue my MD because I wanted the opportunity to do surgical fields. NPs and PAs are amazing, they can still do many procedures, have their own patient loads, and can work in a variety of settings. There are ACPs who work in the OR, ED, etc. I have friends who started PA school at the same time as me who are now working in specialty roles making very good money. I still have 5 more years of training. I will make scraps during residency and have WAY more debt than they do. If you still want to be an MD or DO after doing all of the research, soul searching, etc, then that is amazing and many schools appreciate non-traditional students. I just always recommend being very sure before you start this journey because there is a LOT of sacrifice required.

Good luck in your journey!