I've always enjoyed working with children, but I was unsure how I would feel about working with children in a medical setting. I decided to accept a job at Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital in the pediatric cardiology unit. It was the most rewarding and meaningful job I had ever held. I've always been someone who prioritized personal/family matters over my professional life. After a friend passed away suddenly due to an underlying heart condition, I came to realize how short and fading life is and thus found it necessary to remain available to those I love. However, when I began my job at the hospital, I found myself for the first time prioritizing my professional life over my personal life. I believe that is because this job had become personal. I found myself skipping out on birthdays to be there to support a patient who was receiving their heart. Or skipping family gatherings to attend my patient's funeral. I found myself coming home late and leaving the house early eager to check on the progress of my patients. These things did not feel like sacrifice, because I felt like I was benefitting just as much from being by my patients' sides. There are many wonderful and inspiring stories that I had come to see during my time at the hospital. However, I would like to share the story of one particular patient who I think of often. He was an 11-year-old boy in our unit who was completely paralyzed from the neck down. He was there with his dad, as he was his primary caretaker. He had no mental deficits or delays and was 100% aware of his condition, something that wasn’t entirely too common to see. His story was not the saddest or the most successful of the patients I had, but what made him stand out was the purity of his heart. His bond with his father was truly one of the sweetest and most memorable interactions I had the blessing to witness. I remember one time in particular I was helping his father change his diaper, and in his sweet voice just kept repeating “I’m sorry dad. I love you dad.” And his father responded, “It’s okay, don’t apologize, son. I love you, too, son.” Every. Single. Time. Hearing him apologize so much for something that was completely out of his control showed me how aware he was of his circumstance and how selfless he was to be thinking of his father, and it broke my heart. He and his father would tell me about events they had coming up in church, and I began to imagine them at these events- how when they go to church all most people see is a boy in a wheelchair. Those moments I realized how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to see so much more than that. I had the opportunity to see the more intimate parts of their lives and to witness the beautiful bond this boy had with his father. It also helped me realize that there are likely hundreds of thousands of families and people of such wonderful character and resilience around me every single day. Working with children in a medical setting has taught me so much so far about life regarding my interaction with my family, my husband, and even with strangers. I will find no greater fulfillment in my life than continuing on the path that I am o so that I may best serve the children of my community. I feel grateful to be studying to finally fulfill this dream soon.