Written by Lisa Robinson-Spader.
John was painfully shy when we first met him, yet it was obvious that he was destined to be an outstanding changemaker. We gave him an opportunity to lead a school-based project, and his shyness melted away. He has been wowing us ever since. He was the youngest student to be accepted into his medical school, and he was the first student we chose for a university scholarship. By his third year, he was in the top 5 students out of his class of 200, and in a research contest with thousands of students in the region competing, John won first place. He was also chosen for his school’s “Olympic Team” in internal medicine where they competed against 7 teams from other medical schools. He led his team to victory.

Being a top student, John was given his choice of hospitals for residency training, and he chose the public hospital which cares for those who are indigent. It is, by far, the busiest hospital, and he felt that would give him the most experience. He must have had moments of regret, because every day he got up at 4:00am, then worked at the hospital from 5:00am to 2:00pm. From 2:00-4:00pm he had classes, and from 4:00 to anywhere from 6:00-11:00pm he worked again at the hospital. Every fourth day he also had to work a night shift between 2 grueling days!
Though he still loves medicine, working in the hospital has been a very discouraging experience because the hospital is often short of basic supplies. Many tests and medications have to be purchased outside the hospital where patients must pay. The poorest suffer without treatment because they simply can’t afford care, so John and his fellow students started pooling small sums of money together to help them. We decided to contribute $25 each week for John to use for his patients. With that small fund, he helped 59 patients over the course of 6 months.

Examples:
• Ambulance – A patient with a structural anomaly in his heart was referred to a cardiologist who would perform surgery for free, but the patient didn’t have money to pay for the required ambulance.
• Blood – A patient with very low hemoglobin levels needed an immediate blood transfusion, but he had no donor with the same blood type so John purchased a unit of blood from a clinic.
• Saving a leg – A 15-year-old boy dropped out of school to help support his family, but, while trimming trees with his father, he touched an electrical cable. His left leg was blown off and damage to his right heel was so extensive the doctors were going to amputate his second leg. With one leg you can get around on crutches, but with both legs gone he would be dependent on others for the rest of his life. John therefore used the fund to pay for the needed membranes and medicines to save his leg.

John doesn’t just care for his patients’ physical needs. He brings toys to frightened children, encouraging stories to his adolescent patients, and a huge heart to all. He tells us, “You helped me find my life purpose. You inspired me to help others and motivated me to serve those in need.” I’m sure you will be hearing more about this young man in years to come.
Here comes the next generation of changemakers!
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