When I ask other students why they became interested in the medical field, the most common sentiment I hear is, “I want to help people.” When I dig deeper into their histories, I often hear stories of a grandfather with cancer, a mother who was a nurse, or a little sibling with diabetes. It’s true that watching someone you love experience the ins and outs of the healthcare system firsthand can be deeply moving. Something within us says, “I see you, I hear you, and I want to help you too.” But does this still resonate when the patient is you?

When it comes to healthcare, I was always the patient first. I was the one being diagnosed, treated, and accommodated for. When you’re chronically ill, it is understood that some days you will experience pain, fatigue, and setbacks. Unlike a mild sprain or catching a cold, what we live with is not going to be a temporary thing. With that understanding, I didn’t believe being a healthcare provider was achievable for me. I felt weighed down by stigma that many of us living with chronic illnesses face, and we question what is realistically within our reach. In hindsight, I think this was partially because I didn’t see people like me on the other side of this equation (at least not that I was aware of).

Truth be told, we want to help people too. We want to help people because we thoroughly understand what it’s like to be a patient. We want patients to know that they can still live happily and productively, however that may manifest in their lives. We know that the diagnosis of a chronic illness is not the end, but a map to help navigate us on our respective journeys. We know we need representation, including in the medical field, where it can feel like our roles have already been laid out for us. Deciding to pursue medicine was, by no means, me chasing after a lifelong dream. In every way, it was a lifelong dream chasing after me.

 I’m not going to sugarcoat this though, I was running from it for a reason. It is challenging to go through professional health programs, and it is uniquely challenging to be chronically ill while doing so. If you’re like me, I invite you to remember just a few things when considering this program and a career in healthcare:

1. Know your rights! Being a student and being someone with a chronic illness are not mutually exclusive. You are entitled to reasonable accommodations, and the Office of Academic Access at EMU is such a helpful resource for you to be able to achieve your academic goals while caring for your health and wellbeing.
2. Chronic illnesses can feel like our baggage. It’s the thing dragging us down, making things heavy, wearing us out. It’s time to unpack that here. This is the place where you hold the key to some valuable insight. You have an important voice.
3. You are inevitably going to be surrounded by people who care. We all want to help people, remember?