When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. For the early part of my childhood, my health mainly consisted of frequent visits to the doctor, airway clearance treatments, and countless medications. I was a pretty active kid, playing sports with my brother and friends at school. Inspired by watching my San Francisco Giants win 3 world series titles, my dream in life was to become an MLB player. However, quite soon into my little league career, I realize that dream was not going to happen. 

In high school, my CF started to take a turn. While high school included going to school dances, studying for exams, and singing in choir, it was also the first time I was hospitalized as a CF patient. In high school, I was hospitalized twice, once for 9 days and the other for 14 days. Hospitalizations are challenging: Not only did I experience the challenges of having many sleepless nights and waking up at 8 A.M. for treatments, but I also struggled with anxiety, depression, and paranoia by being stuck in isolation. Amid these experiences, I discovered something powerful. My doctors treated me as a person, not just as a patient. Witnessing my physicians’ dedication to heal me planted a seed in me: I wanted to provide the same care to patients in the future.

I was hoping to be healthy throughout college, but my CF had other plans. In college, I was hospitalized four times, but that only strengthened my passion for pursuing medicine. Every time I was hospitalized, I was intrigued by how my physicians helped me feel better so I could live a meaningful life. Having CF has given me such a unique insight into healthcare, being able to see both sides of the hospital bed. I’m privileged for the care I’ve received, and as a future physician, I want to lead patients through vulnerable moments.

Despite CF’s challenges, I have found strength and purpose through advocacy, whether as a CF patient advocating for patients like myself ineligible for current modulator therapies, to serving underserved communities in San Francisco with AmeriCorps. Living with CF has shown me how powerful it is to feel truly cared for. CF has instilled values of compassion, advocacy, and resilience that guide me into the physician and individual I aspire to become. 

While writing this, I just finished submitting my applications to medical school, and it has really highlighted how my experiences with cystic fibrosis have influenced my decision to pursue medicine. The practice of medicine integrates various parts of my identity: a lifelong patient who understands the challenges of having a chronic illness, and an advocate who wants to create systemic change. I want to become a physician who draws upon personal experiences and compassion to make patients feel cared for. Whatever lies ahead, I hope to carry those lessons into medicine—and into every part of my life.

By: Ahbijit Tirumala