COM Outlook Winter 2019

36 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE STUDENT Perspectives Twenty-seven years ago, a baby girl was abandoned in a basket in front of an orphanage in Vietnam. The Buddhist nun who found her said that although the baby was small and frail, her cry was loud and strong. She cried for her survival. That baby girl was me. Life has always been beautiful and worth living, even though it has presented me with many obstacles. Because I love my life so much, my biggest fear enter- ing medicine is losing it. I fear that the enormous amount of competitiveness, debt, expectations, and stress during my training will suck the life out of me. It would be my worst nightmare to become a physician and lose my aspiration, my com- passion, and my joy of living. It is such a contradiction that someone enters medicine to save lives, but fears losing her own. When you consider the alarm- ing suicide rate among medi- cal students, practicing physicians, and residents, however, this fear is well-grounded. In response to this fear, the college’s Student Association of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians partnered with the KPCOM Mental Health Awareness Task Force to coordinate the Suicide Awareness: Light the Candles of Love event on Septem- ber 7 for National Suicide Prevention Week. The two-hour event included an emotional opening presentation from the executive director of the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention, whose son passed away from suicide. Although she has been a profession- al suicide prevention speaker for more than 30 years, she was still emotional talking about her son’s death. This helped us realize the lasting effect suicide has on the remaining family members. It made me think about my adoptive mother, who once told me of a time in her life when work was too stressful, and that as she was taking a walk during lunch, she thought about ending her life. Luckily, her coworker recognized the change in her behavior that day and offered to walk with her. I waited 11 years to be able to call someone mom, and I still cannot imagine how my life would have changed if she took her life that day. In addition to the professional speakers, five students shared their personal stories of how they were affected by the loss of loved ones to suicide, how they struggled with their own suicidal thoughts, and how they overcame them. The 140 attendees sat in silence, touched by the speakers’ strength and courage. Each attendee received a small bag, which included a candle, a yellow ribbon pin, and a card with the suicide hotline number on it. The students also were encouraged to wear the yellow pins during National Suicide Prevention Week. We concluded the event with a candle-lighting service and a moment of silence to Alarming Rate of Suicide Begs Awareness and Responsiveness BY KELLY LE STUDENT PERSPECTIVES SHARE YOUR STRENGTH