From Michele: There’s this saying that “you’re never going to be 100% ready and it’s never going to be the right time, but that’s the point. It means that every moment is also the right moment. If you want it, you just have to do it.” (Anonymous). I couldn’t agree anymore.
Honestly, when I first started Not a Standard, I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted a platform where others could share their stories and inspire others. I had no idea (and still in some aspects) didn’t know the how. But here I am doing. (Bear with me as it slowly gets better.)
And that’s just it, as Megan says below…sometimes “you do not need to know how. You just need to know why. You do not need spend precious time wondering when – because the right time is NOW. “
So check out Megan’s story, and tell us, what’s one thing you are going to start in spite of the fear?
I believe that we are all called to serve others first, to dedicate our life for the ultimate betterment of society, and to improve our own character while doing so. This is a glimpse of my story.
Me: I am Megan. I am a Christian. I am 25 years old. I am married to a veterinary student. And I am a third year medical student in Texas. I am a protective older sister to four siblings. I am close to my parents. My favorite TV show in the history of TV shows is Survivor. I enjoy mystery novels, traveling, photography, and pine tree views. I am a decent ultimate frisbee and newbie basketball player (after spending many years as a dancer!) I am passionate about bringing out unique characteristics in people, and truly getting to know them. I enjoy challenges. I strive daily to stand out after spending so long trying to “fit in.” I hope to encourage you to do the same.
After my first round of board exams in June of 2019, I transitioned into the patient care setting where I would complete the latter two years of my medical school education: clinical rotations. It was then that I began to wonder how exactly I would make a difference when I graduated medical school. My mindset was when I graduate. When I have my credentials. When I have my diploma. When…
During my very first clinical rotation, Hematology/Oncology, I quickly realized I was too focused on the when. So much so that I was missing the now.
I was slammed with this realization during Heme/Oncology, but let me back up and explain before I get ahead of myself.
As my rotation progressed I felt a burning desire to “do something.” I didn’t know what. I didn’t know how. But I did know that is was no longer a matter of when I was a physician – it was
NOW. It had to be. Although I might not know the many complex aspects of medical management (yet!), I worked through the uncertainty and apprehension I felt and pushed onward. As the days passed I began to understand the potential we all possess even as students – it was time to take a leap of faith and make a move. Albeit in a different way than what I once thought.
I began brainstorming. A lot. For the first time I considered making an impact in a non-medical way.
This was foreign to me! The realization of now and not when was the fire under my feet that ultimately led to the creation of an organization that would serve the very patients on my Heme/Onc rotation. More importantly, the passion in my heart that sparked the idea for this organization stemmed from the time I spent with cancer patients during what was likely the most vulnerable time in their life – a deeply impactful and unexpected experience. So impactful that I am having trouble explaining it to you now.
Here we go: As humans we desire to make an impact, to cultivate connection, and to do so in a capacity that is meaningful. Meaningful in a sense that we strive to be molded by our experiences and interactions with others in order to better connect with them. To be as cognizant and as understanding to what patients go through with the goal of better caring for them in times of need
Witnessing terminal diagnoses being given to patients is indescribable.
Having a face- to-face conversation with a young patient who has terminal brain cancer, who has such a burning desire to be strong for his wife and three daughters, who absolutely loved his job but is now paralyzed and can no longer work, who wants more than anything to LIVE LIFE FULLY when he physically cannot – is indescribable. I felt my heart change and mold and grow over and over and over patient after patient. It was such a powerful experience. One I will forever be grateful for.
My experiences throughout Heme/Oncology allowed me to see the more realistic side of cancer. Not only what cancer is and how we treat it, but a glimpse of what cancer does to each individual patient physically and emotionally. Of course, I will never truly understand as I have not been in that position myself. At the end of the day, however, connection with others is what we all strive for and is something I believe we all are called to value and pursue daily.
It was the cumulation of the above that fundamentally fueled my passion to create Paperbacks with a PurposeTM
PWAP is a community driven donation book and handwritten letter drive dedicated to bringing comfort and community support to cancer patients while they receive grueling chemotherapy treatment – if only for a brief moment. Simply, my goal is to spread a sense of community connection through personalized letters to patients.
Over the last five months, more than 595 books and 115 handwritten personalized letters have been donated by the community and placed into the hands of cancer patients through PWAP. I visit the cancer center weekly* to add an armful of books filled with personalized letters to the shelf. Every time I visit, the books I left the prior week are gone and the patients rush to the shelf and greet me with smiles and words of thanks.
I challenge you to work through the inevitable uncertainties you face, to be bold, and to passionately pursue your unique ideas for the betterment of others. You do not have to be graduated, certified, or credentialed to make a difference. And you do not need to know how. You just need to know why. You do not need spend precious time wondering when – because the right time is NOW.
*Although donations are still being accepted, delivery of donations to the cancer center have ceased as of February 29th 2020 to protect patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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