The old man lay still in his bed, curled up with his knees held close to his stomach, his eyes squeezed shut as if to block out the dim lights, the thin skin revealing his prominent ribs with every breath. His thighs were as thick as his arms and I could almost see the shadow of his teeth through his cheeks due to them being so hollow. When the doctor pulled back the blanket, a gaping hole in his hip was revealed. As I dared to look closer, I saw a creamy white, hard object in the hole, surrounded by flaming red tissue. I swallowed my nausea when I realized it was a femur, that I was seeing an actual bone on a living person. I felt as though I was watching a movie or seeing some otherworldly being because there was no way a human could be going through this. After watching the healthcare workers treat his bed sores to the best of their abilities, clean the infection near his groin, and attempt to feed him, the doctor pulled me aside and told me that there was nothing they could do. Due to his old age, his body would take too long to recover from these crippling injuries and infections, and all there was left to do was attempt to make him and his family more comfortable. I had always been interested in the origins of diseases, believing that once you found the root of the cause, it would be easy to treat the problem and all symptoms would go away. Throughout my junior year, I enjoyed doing research on the pathophysiology of different diseases and educating others about them through the International Youth Neuroscience Association and Health Occupations Students of America clubs. However, volunteering with Pallium India this past summer, a charitable trust that aims to provide quality palliative care for all, changed my view of medicine. The workers of Pallium India focused not only on treating physical pain, but mental, emotional and spiritual torment as well. Bed-ridden patients, such as the old man I saw, were not cast away even after it was apparent that there was no single “problem” to fix. Instead, Pallium continues to help them, treating them as people rather than just diseases. Although I’m still extremely interested in pathophysiology, my volunteering with Pallium India has broadened my understanding of what it means to be a doctor. Rather than simply focusing on the science of a patient’s body, a doctor must have compassion and treat the patient with respect and care. I am inspired to pursue the passion of alleviating suffering by tackling the root causes of diseases while also maintaining my empathy.