life as a student in highschool

“Where there is darkness let there be light. ” Those were the words I thought as I was put under anaesthetic… on international TV. Not many can say their first exposure to fame was having their orthopaedic foot surgery televised on Al Jazeera, but there I was at the age of 12, with the consent of myself, my parents and doctors having a tennis injury to my foot surgically treated on TV. Was it cool? Yes. Was I scared? Possibly. Did it instil in me a feeling of admiration and respect for the medical profession and its ability to help people? Absolutely. My dream of becoming an Orthopaedic Surgeon changed course rapidly when my younger brother was diagnosed with Demyelination symptoms two years ago. Ever since we noticed certain weaknesses in his fine motor movements, my family have been shuttling between SIDRA Medicine, Qatar, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children many times and have yet to arrive at a concrete diagnosis and agreement on a treatment plan, which is something my family is still hoping and praying for. “Unlike other parts of the body, ” a Doctor in the UK said to my parents, “we haven’t quite understood the human brain yet. ” I’m determined to do something about that and do something about it now! I profoundly believe, as a top-class Neurologist I not only could assist patients, but also contribute to enrich neuroscience to the benefit of the next generation, especially for children like my brother who is also my very best friend. To that end, I was fortunate to undergo medical training in two endeavours: completing a BLS (basic life support) course and 90 hours of work experience at Qatar’s premier nephrological hospital, Fahad Bin Jasim Kidney Center, the latter consisting of shadowing a nephrologist; understanding the types of dialysis and engaging with an extraordinary research team. I learned there not just a doctor’s role in treating medical conditions, but also mental anguish as well as it was my first experience seeing a difficult patient interaction. I always assumed that patients would be grateful, kind and courteous to their caregivers, but here I saw the nephrologist treat a patient who was abrasive, disrespectful and downright abusive saying things I shudder to recollect, but through it all the doctor spoke in a calm yet serious tone which I found remarkable. Assessing the situation, planning beforehand and even preparing the nurses for the meeting, demonstrated to me that medicine is as much patience and empathy as it is physical treatment. This does not mean it will not be difficult. I know medicine will be a challenge, but challenges are what I’ve excelled at, from being an under-18 Tennis player, to taking part in a Harvard leadership course (“Managing yourself and leading others for healthcare professionals”) course. I’ve always striven to be the best I can be, to learn from mistakes and to accrue experience so that I can always meet tomorrow a better, wiser person than I was today. This all leads me to the future and why I’d love to study in the UK. I’ve spent most of my life as an Anglophile in an English-speaking environment. One of my heroes is Sherlock Holmes, and just as he used deduction, precision and panache solve his cases, I want to do the same with medicine particularly in the field of neurology. I’ve seen the best of British education abroad at Doha College, one of Qatar’s best international schools where I earned 3 As. I’ve had an all English-education and have grown to love and respect this culture. It also helps that the UK boasts some of the best academic medical programmes in the world and I look forward to developing my skills and liaising with students and faculty from all over the world. With great humility, I hope to be the light that cures people’s ills, anxieties and fears as a qualified doctor, and I am ready to take on this monumental and exciting challenge.