How Boppa Changed My Life

A rich kid growing up in a loving family provides for an easy life; this life is simple in the early years,but curves in the road arrive in everyone’s life. I grew up extremely with an extremely close relationship to my “Boppa”. Boppa was invincible; my mom’s dad could build a treehouse in the mountains at seven thousand feet of elevation without breaking a sweat. Nothing could hold him back. When he was told he had 6 months to live, this came as a huge shock to everyone to him and those who loved him. His battle with leukemia outlasted his predicted time. His tough mentality brought him through countless doses of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants. Watching him go through this process sparked the first curiosity with medicine I had ever experienced. When Boppa went into remission for the last time, he had one wish; he would go to his condo in Florida or he would die trying. Unable to provide necessary care in Florida, my Grandmother invited me to be the muscle that would help him up the stairs and off the toilet while he was there. Yet again, my curiosity in medicine was sparked while helping him deal with what seemed like a thousand different medicines that he required. The time came for me to go home and soon after, he fought his last battle with his disease. I missed him more than ever and I had a desire to not only uphold his
His gentle love for others that surpassed all other things is what I strive to show patients day in and day out at my job. While working there, I have gained a desire to help others in this way for the rest of my life. I work hard to learn more about medicine daily and to better myself as a CNA and to be a better doctor in the future. Although Boppa passed tragically due to a horrific disease, he left a lasting legacy in me that has propelled me into this medical future that I never would have been in without