Mother & Daughter

One of my major concerns when making the decision to go to medical school was how much time I am going to miss in my young daughter’s life and how is it going to impact her? It was an impossible question to answer. There is no way to tell. It is my belief that the example I am setting for my child by far surpasses any damage that I may be causing by my absence. It is never too late in life to live your dreams. All you need is the love of your family. One reason why I even considered going to a Caribbean medical school was because I saw it as an opportunity for my family to have an unforgettable experience and that perhaps my daily absence would not be so difficult to deal with. I want my family’s memory of medical school to be filled with unforgettable experiences and exciting memories.


My daughter and I have a rare opportunity for some uninterrupted one-on-one time this weekend. My husband's best friend is visiting us from SLC and the boys are heading to the coast tomorrow for a long boys weekend of fishing. This gives Gabby and I some much needed quality time together. I am looking forward to this with increasing excitement. It is rare that she and I have time to do "girl" things. I see this as perhaps my last chance to have her all to myself for an extended period of time without any guilt that I should be studying instead. Or maybe it’s HER last time to have me all to herself. We have 3 days together and I plan to cherish each moment. Planning what to do is hard however. Some ideas of quality time with my very soon to be 5 year old include the park, walks, bike riding, reading, watching her favorite movie, and of course nothing would make it more special then snuggling in MY bed with me while daddy is away. Time is just slipping away and she is growing up so fast. It just terrifies me to think that she is starting kindergarten in Dominica this fall. It occurred to me the other day that when I am done with residency she will be nearly 13 years old.

Time is precious. I am making a pledge that I will spend 30 minutes of uninterrupted time with my daughter each day. I will teach her to be strong, independent, and to never be afraid to live out her dreams. I will encourage her to find a strong man that will stand by her, as her father stands by me, instead of feel threaten by her. I will to teach her to love herself as well as others.