Part 5 of my graduation speech accompanied a series of photos. Formatting and phrasing reflect the oral presentation. “People come and go in our lives; that’s as old a story as there is. But some of them the heart cries out to keep forever; and that is a fresh saga every time.” – Ivan Doig, The Bartender’s Tale Writing helps me remember, process, and think…
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Part 2 of speech given at residency graduation. Organization and phrasing reflects oral presentation. “Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith. Faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.” – Madeleine L’Engle In high school, I realized four years of…
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Part 1 of speech given at residency graduation. Organization and phrasing reflects oral presentation. In medical school, we often refer to our first year anatomy class cadaver as our first patient. I knew my first patient long before medical school, though, and she is very much alive. This story begins in Seattle, in 1987, in a sixth-floor apartment four blocks from Pike Place Market. In…
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