My family’s situation has always caused me to be a thoughtful and caring member of the community. Born in Tehran, Iran in 1982, I was born into a country full of conflict and so, when I was just five years old, my family and I moved to Sweden to seek safety from the Iraq/Iran conflict. Then, two years later, we moved to Vancouver, Canada. Upon arriving there, my Mother had to re-sit exams so that she could continue to be a nurse and my father, unable to find work in his field, took work as a taxi driver; eventually buying his own taxi cab. The effects of these moves, to me, were profound: I have grown up with a true sense of respect and gratitude to my parents for protecting me and going out of their way to provide for me. It is with this sense of nurture and care that I hope to achieve my residency in pediatrics.
To me, children are the best of humanity and they deserve a happy, un-troubled childhood like the one my parents worked so hard to give me. Childhood is the one time in our lives where we are allowed to be innocent, naïve and happy and so, for me, working hard to help make this a reality for children who are sick, is one of the most rewarding things that I could ever hope to do with my life: they never fail to put a smile on my face. I also relish the challenge afforded by the work in this field: having to take a different tact with each child to find out vital information depending on their age, level of sickness and their parents’ attitude. I am passionate about giving sick children the chance to live their lives to the full; to be able to play with their friends, have their first kiss, leave home and go to college – these children deserve that chance and their strength of character is a testament to their beautiful hearts – they inspire me.
My biggest inspiration in life and my career is my Mother who has worked as a nurse for the past twenty-five years. Her ability to face the best and worst of humanity but still come home with a smile on her face was always incredible to me. She always put this down to her team and the support they gave one another. To my understanding, the ability to work in a team is one of the most important aspects of working in medicine; especially during your residency when the hours are long and the work is never-ending: it is important to be a member of a team who work together and support one another throughout. I am proud of my people skills and know that I will be a valuable member of any team I am a part of in the future.
Following my graduation from York University where I majored in Biology and minored in Kinesiology; there really was only one option for me and that was to pursue a career in medicine. It is a decision that I have cherished every day since. Working in a hospital is the best thing I have ever done in my life; I adore the challenges I receive on a daily basis.
Life has not always been easy for my family and I: we have had to start from scratch on a number of occasions but I feel it demonstrates who I am when I say that we rose to that challenge and have made a success of our life in Canada. With the exception of one exam which did not go quite to plan, my education has been faultless and even in that one instance, I prepared extensively for it but it was just one ‘off’ day, which demonstrates my humanity: I am not perfect, but I aim for perfection in everything I do. Medicine and, in particular, pediatrics is my life, my love and my raison d’être: give me the chance to prove my passion to you and allow me to take on a pediatrics residency in your hospital.
