I decided to write this post about my grandfather. My grandfather grew up in Brooklyn, and he wasn’t always set up for success. He struggled with severe ADHD long before anyone really understood or diagnosed it, at a time when kids like him were often just told to try harder. He never let it define him. This was something he dealt with in college and later years but he still managed to make it through school and get through med school as well.  He found his way to Western Kentucky University, where he met my grandmother, and eventually became an orthopedic surgeon, a job that demands focus, patience, and steady hands.

He served as an orthopedic surgeon for the military and was deployed to Vietnam. My dad, aunt and uncle all spent time living on the base in Vietnam and I have heard many cool stories from that time. My uncle was also born in Vietnam while they were living on that base. Their family was growing in the middle of a war, and even then, my grandfather was doing work that mattered, caring for people when they needed it most. That’s something that I have grown to respect is the amount he really cares about other people. My grandfather never missed a lacrosse game for me or a dance recital for my sisters and I never appreciated that enough. If he did ever miss a game it was probably because he was helping someone else and he would give me a call explaining all that happened as to how he would not be able to be there. Overall he has taught me a lot about life and been an ideal role model growing up. 

Years later, he chose to half-retire so he could spend more time with his family. Not many people who reach the top of a demanding field make that choice, and it says everything about what he values.

For me, that choice has meant having a grandfather who is truly present. He’s one of the people I’m closest to, and he is my biggest supporter, always in my corner, always believing in me. Having watched him overcome so much, I know his belief in me comes from experience. He knows what it means to keep going when things don’t come easily.

He taught me that success isn’t about how you start, and that the most important thing you can do with a career is use it to make time for the people you love.