“Mom, how long is your trip going to take?” my little brother asked, he was reluctant to let go of my mother’s hand. The LAX air conditioner was too strong, filling the night of my mother’s departure with a sense of chilling sadness. The marble floor of the airport seemed vast and hollow. My mother said, “Don’t worry. After the operation, I’ll be back”. It was May thirteenth of 2007. My family stood near the escalator by the boarding gate, and none of us wanted to go. My mother had to return to Taiwan for a vital surgery: the cataract of her right eye had to be treated. The roar of flights blended with the sound of the dragging of travelers’ luggage, as it echoed in the terminal.
Long story short, my mother was born with an apparently normal, but nearly blind right eye. It was a severe case of what is known as “lazy eye”. Since her condition is undetectable superficially, and my mother was too young to be aware of it, the defect remained unnoticed until she was in third grade. By then, it was too late for her to be treated. Often, when I see my mother resting her eyes after reading a small section of the newspaper, or when she turns her whole head to see a street sign, I think: “If she had the luxury of both eyes, would the world be more wonderful?”
I am currently a biology major planning to apply for med-school, and a large part of my motivation comes from my mother. Watching her live inconveniently ever since I was conscious enough to know her plight made me want to become an eye doctor. It may be useful to mention that my eyes aren’t exactly in the best conditions either, since I definitely inherited something from my mother. Thoughts like this constantly run through my mind: If I could do something to help people like my mother or me, I would consider my life meaningful; thus being an opthalmologist is my dream job. After a few quarters studying at UCLA, I realized that getting into medical school is a lot harder than I expected, not mentioning the even harder life if I am able to get in. Nevertheless, I will hang on and attempt to achieve my goal.
Why do I do what I do? I admit that money is really appealing, but I’m doing it more so to be able to help people become aware of the importance of their eyes and also attempt to make the most out of the time I spend for my education.
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