Help the Less Fortunate
I will one day, help the less fortunate in Turkey
by Sıla Özer
In the world we live in we are all meant to conform to societal norms and being unreasonable and different is almost frowned upon. The dreams that once seemed achievable when we were younger diminish into the realm of impossibilities. Edwin Louis Cole once said “Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men.” Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to become a doctor. For me the idea of a true doctor is dedicating yourself to helping people and to lend a helping hand to those who may not be able to afford it otherwise. As a student in Public Health with a previous background in Biology and a big interest in world health issues, I have promised myself that I would impact peoples’ lives one way or another. After enrolling into Public Health, it became evident that preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, hepatitis and other serious illnesses would continue to rise even in countries like Turkey.
Upon finishing my internship this past summer at Hacettepe University Hospitals In Ankara In the Pediatric Oncology department, my perspective on life completely changed. I saw Innocent children lose their battle to cancer and it made me realize how precious and short life truly is. After coming back to Toronto, I decided I would follow my dreams and follow it not only with ambition but with love, because I saw how love had the power to change many things. The first step to making my dream a reality is to finish school and acquire the knowledge to assist people. I would love to travel around Turkey to help the less fortunate In not only treating illnesses but also educating people in prevention. During my journey, I am confident that I will be able to touch peoples’ lives in a genuine way and make friends with the beautiful and diverse people of our country.
How is this unreasonable you may ask, today even the medical sector has turned Into a business and not all doctors are treating their patients ethically. They lack love and passion for their career which in return reflects on patient care. I want to change this, I want to be the first female Turkish Canadian doctor to go to places in Turkey that other doctors do not want go to. My goal is not to gain fame or make money is it is merely to inspire individuals to go out there and genuinely assist the less fortunate. I want Turkish youth to help the poor in our country no matter what their field may be and to do this not for the means of money but for their own soul and personal development. I want my journey to be an inspiration to Canadians and provoke them to leave any judgements or uncertainties behind and discover Turkey in the most authentic way possible. During the process of my excursion my goal is to gather all the scientific and social data so that I am able to share my findings, this way everyone is able to learn and benefit from one another. Sharing information is another way we can all inspire and continuously learn.
In conclusion, my dream is to help the less fortunate in Turkey and inspire other people to do same wherever they are. I believe it is small steps taken by people who have unreasonable dreams that change the world and I want to be an active participant in this change.