As long as there is breath in me,
that long I will persist!

Despite, financial struggles my parents reinforced the importance of a good education. My whole school life, my mother requested scholarships for me. I was the first student of my class, so my parents did not pay for my whole high school in a private school. Now that I remember, my mother had to request every single year a scholarship for all of us. My siblings and I felt the pressure to help our parents, so we tried to be very good students.

When I finished high school, I applied to med school and got in! Unfortunately, my parents couldn’t afford the tuition, and still had 4 other siblings who were waiting in line. My mother decided to go to Italy to work, we sold our family car, we borrowed money from family. I had less than 2 dollars per day to spend, for bus rides, food and book’s copies. Somehow, I finished first year of med school and by the second year I received a tuition discount. Yeah! Less payments and with that, my family managed to get me through 5th year of med school. During those years, I helped at home with my siblings, managed the house, studied, attended the hospitals. During vacation time, I volunteered, worked at hospitals and did externships in internal medicine, ophthalmology and surgery. 

By 5th year, I decided to take an exchange student program, so I came to USA, mainly to work, learn English and pay my next year at my school. I didn’t have any expectations from the trip other than to earn money to keep studying.

While at USA, I worked for 4 months in a hotel as a dishwasher, learned English at night and worked extra hours in a close by cafeteria. I also visited as much as I could a Med school/ hospital close to the area. I was impressed with the advantages in USA, so I promised myself to come back at some point and become a physician. How? When? I had no idea, nor the language, but I was committed and motivated.

When I finished school, it was time for graduation, and I couldn’t pay for my final tittle. I decided to come to USA with help of friends and family so I could work save money and help out my family.

In 2011 I got a job as a dietitian aid in a Hospital in PA. Once there, I enrolled in a training to become a medical interpreter. I learned so much from it! In a year, my English was 1000 times better and so I decided to prepare for Step 1. In addition, I was working 50+ hours per week, shadowing in a Cardiology and Internal Medicine clinic and going to grand rounds in the hospital. I was also attending conferences and lectures as much as I could. Of course, also sending money to my siblings so they could keep studying and saving money for my final tittle.

In a middle of all this, I found the love of my live, my husband, my rock, my blessing. 

I was confident and took step 1 and failed miserably, not by many points but failed. As any one could say: my life was over. I also found out that I was expecting and my dreams at that time for some reason changed and priorities too.

When my baby was 3 months, I decided to take step 1 again. The day of the exam, I woke up sick, with fever, chills but I decided to suck it up and take the exam anyway. Oh my, it hurt me so bad because I failed again!! It was not about my knowledge; I was slow in reading and so nervous, I had many questions left that I couldn’t get to. I went through the whole grieving process. By this point, you read some many things on the forums: if you fail you will never make it, it is over don’t waste your time and money, it is impossible and so on.

Well, by the third time, I prepared so extra well, and I passed step 1. I was working, plus raising a family, plus sending money to my siblings. I also earned enough money to go back to Peru and get my final tittle, which took 4 months.

8 months after, I took 2ck and FAILED! Man, I studied so much, I thought that there was something terribly wrong with me, that I was stupid, and that I didn’t know it yet. 

I decided to keep going. By this time, I already had 1.5 years of rotations in an academic center and 1 year as a med staff volunteer in a nearby clinic.

I took again 2ck and passed with 231, not terrible bad not terrific either. My sister and my 2 brothers graduated from college! What a relieve! they were working earning money and were so independent. My mother went back to Peru and my whole family was reunited after 10 years.

While in this process, I had different jobs: dietitian assistant, medical interpreter, lab assistant, phlebotomist and patient cultural advocate, all these positions were related to medicine and enriched me with all aspects of patient care. Physicians can’t get far without all the members of the team and I was privileged to experience how a hospital run in USA, where collaboration was and is key.

I interacted very well with all my colleagues, I felt the love every time I was leaving a position, I knew I was doing a great job. My patients were the light of my day, and even I was not their doctor, my days were fulfilled with compassion, learning experiences, and joy. Every time I interacted with a physician, a patient, or witnessed the dialogue between them, it was a reminder to meet my goals. I wanted this so bad, I got to keep going, it will happen!

My ECFMG certification arrived and I applied in 2017, I didn’t match. I applied again in 2018 to 150+ programs, I got just one invitation for Internal Medicine in NY. I prepared so well for this, my English was impeccable (I still remember when I came here for the first time and I could not say a single phrase, I learned the language by myself and keep learning BTW). For this interview, I studied the community health assessment, the hospital population, what I brought to the program etc. I followed with a nice thank you card and then a letter by mail to the associate program director who interviewed me. I thought I rocked the interview, I am a good talker, and my goofy side comes out at time which made it less stiff. 

The program didn’t call me. I thought that was it, my only shot and it was gone. I clearly remember that the interviewer said: if I don’t contact you in 3 weeks, please do not reach out to me. Fine, it was clear.

The last week of January 2019, while working with a dear patient of mine, I received a call from NY, I thought it was a telemarketing call so I ignored it, a second call from the same number came through and I thought: could it be possible? I answered; the doctor who interviewed me offered me 3 years in Internal Medicine. I responded with a: I will get back to you tomorrow (I know, it sounded delusional). Well there is an explanation for this; the day prior to this call, I was contacted by the surgery program director at the hospital where I worked. After a short interview with her, she offered me a preliminary position in her program, she knew my story and how good I was despite the fails and the scores, so there! she offered me a year to improve my application, I was already blessed by this opportunity. 

Although, I was very fortunate that before committing for surgery, this second offer happened.

I contacted the surgery program, declined politely and explained the situation. The next day, I called NY and accepted the position! I hanged up and started crying, as everything was sinking in. All my family’s effort, my mother’s sacrifice of going away for so many years got me to that point of happiness. 

I could only say that I wouldn’t change any of my story. It made me the strong, resilient woman I am today. I know the road ahead is still a long one, but I will get there.

To all of you, I hope my experience helps you, encourages you, remember when there is a way there is a will. I always kept this in my mind: 

As long as there is breath in me, that long I will persist. For now, I know one of the principles of success; if I persist long enough, I will win. -Og Mandino