Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A life moment you dare not dream of

J. Michael Millis, MD
Education
September 11, 2018
8 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As a third-generation physician, I grew up thinking and dreaming of a being a physician, and 33 years later, I am still living the dream.  I dreamt of saving people’s lives.  I dreamt of a day like today when I received a LinkedIn request from a young lady on whom, 21 years ago, I performed a living donor liver transplant from her mother.

Today she is graduating from college and hopes to work in healthcare and would “love to catch up and thank you for everything.”   I dreamt of using my skills to perform liver transplants so children could grow up, parents could enjoy raising their children, and grandparents could see their grandchildren grow up.  These are the dreams that kept me studying and putting in the long hours of a brutal, but rewarding, training program.

These are amazing events and when I entered medicine were not even possible.  As unlikely as these events are, I am blessed to not only to dream of them but to actually accomplish them.  Events more unlikely to occur would not even be worth dreaming of, thus I have repressed a dream for 29 years.

My son was born 29 years ago, and my only dream for him was to be healthy.  Born in the throes of cardiac decelerations, pre-mature and with neonatal jaundice, I was just hoping his was brain was normal and he did not have biliary atresia (the subject of my first peer-reviewed publication).   As he developed a competency for math and science, and a love of helping people through countless hours of service, I thought, perhaps, he would become a fourth-generation physician.  His love of helping the under-resourced drove him to earn a MPH, and I thought that maybe his calling would be to help populations rather than through hands-on clinical practice helping individuals.  Then he started concentrating on applying to medical school.

As we all know the odds of getting into medical school are low and the path is daunting for everyone.  I could dream that he might get into medical school and provided the counseling, mentorship, and parenting to encourage him to do want he enjoys and makes him happy.  He and several thousand other qualified applicants applied and, as a faculty member of the University of Chicago, I tried to assess his application objectively. He had some unique characteristics and qualifications, and also some relative weaknesses, but I thought he would likely get into medical school.  When members of the admissions committee at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine informed me that children of faculty members face a higher bar, so as not to appear to cater to faculty, I thought that his formal medical education would start at a different institution.  I was OK with that.

He was accepted and decided to attend the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.  I starting dreaming of him being in my operating room, teaching him anatomy, how to tie knots, etc. However, I would not let myself dream of the events past this level of involvement.  What if I got a job offer at another institution that was too good to turn down while he was in medical school?  I would miss out on helping him start his clinical rotations, miss out on his unannounced visits to my office just to talk or study for Step 1.   Those are events that I could think about and process.

However, it was not until I was lined up with other faculty who had helped mold him into a young physician in the academic procession for his graduation that I allowed myself to dream.  Through all the uncertainties and against all odds, I, as a faculty member of his medical school for 24 years, was going to provide him with his academic hood and welcome him into medicine.  It is odd, that it is an academic ceremony which bestows a degree that allows young men and women to transform from students into young physicians whose minds and hands are now expected to heal and care. The faculty of every medical school take this responsibility seriously, but few are able to live the dream of being the faculty member with the privilege of providing the symbol of transformation for one of his or her children.  If I were to go through it again, I would still not allow myself to dream of the event, as the joy of that moment would put too much pressure on those who you love.  For those that can share this experience, cherish the event.

J. Michael Millis is a surgeon. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

An orthopedic surgeon’s take on the e-scooter craze

September 11, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

A young mother’s close call with opioid dependence

September 11, 2018 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Surgery

Post navigation

< Previous Post
An orthopedic surgeon’s take on the e-scooter craze
Next Post >
A young mother’s close call with opioid dependence

Related Posts

  • How medical school saved this student’s life

    Natasha Abadilla
  • Here’s how poetry saved my life in medical school

    Tolu Kehinde, MD
  • Ethical humanism: life after #medbikini and an approach to reimagining professionalism

    Jay Wong
  • Welcome to medical school. Welcome to the rest of your life.

    Zainab Mabizari
  • Life can be meaningful even in the midst of residency

    Karl Chen, MD
  • The life cycle of medication consumption

    Fery Pashang, PharmD

More in Education

  • The secret to success in medical school: self-awareness and courage

    Kaelor Gordon
  • Is mandating pre-medical training widening disparities in the U.S. physician workforce?

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Equalizing the future of medical residencies: standardizing work hours and wages

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • From studying to baby kicks: Navigating motherhood in medical school

    Natalie Eichner-Seitz
  • The power of advocacy: a medical student’s journey to helping an uninsured immigrant

    Fabiola Plaza
  • From AI to love: the key to a better future in medical education

    Stevan Walkowski, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

      Wendy Schofer, MD | Physician
    • The endless waves of chronic illness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

      Alexandra Kharazi, MD | Physician
    • Telemedicine in the opioid crisis: a game-changer threatened by DEA regulations

      Julie Craig, MD | Meds
    • How this doctor found her passion in ballroom dancing [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Surviving and thriving after life’s most difficult moments

      Rebecca Fogg, MBA | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Make the Diagnosis: This Bump on His Nose is a Tricky Diagnosis
  • CRT Regimen Boosts Complete Response Rate in Unresectable Vulvar Cancer
  • Fla. Doc Charged With Murder; McConnell Exits Rehab Facility; BPA on Store Receipts
  • FDA Faults Next-Gen Olympus Duodenoscopes
  • CDK4/6 Inhibition Active in Recurrent Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Meeting Coverage

  • CRT Regimen Boosts Complete Response Rate in Unresectable Vulvar Cancer
  • CDK4/6 Inhibition Active in Recurrent Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
  • Switch to IL-23 Blocker Yields Deep Responses in Recalcitrant Plaque Psoriasis
  • Biomarkers of Response With Enfortumab Vedotin in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
  • At-Home Topical Therapy for Molluscum Contagiosum Gets High Marks
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

      Wendy Schofer, MD | Physician
    • The endless waves of chronic illness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

      Alexandra Kharazi, MD | Physician
    • Telemedicine in the opioid crisis: a game-changer threatened by DEA regulations

      Julie Craig, MD | Meds
    • How this doctor found her passion in ballroom dancing [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Surviving and thriving after life’s most difficult moments

      Rebecca Fogg, MBA | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...