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“ The first day of visiting the hospital clinic in Kumasi, Ghana when I first arrived at the hospitals, I was very excited to see what the hospitals were like. When we arrived at the hospital, I began to feel anxious because seeing the looks on the patients' faces when we first arrived left me feeling anxious and they were all sitting around with an unreadable expression on their faces. As I entered the building and began to move further into the hospital, a wave of sadness and confusion began to wave over me. I did not know what to think. It made me feel frustrated and upset when I saw some of the babies have pieces of face masks over their faces to protect their eyes from the UV light. It was a lot to take in.
The feeling was overall overwhelming, but it made me appreciate the small things in life such as: having cool air, privacy, and space. Not only did this leave me feeling humbled because this was a case of “appreciate the things that you do have” – it birthed a different form of respect for black women. I was not expecting to see so many women in pain during labor because of the fact that there were not enough qualified professionals to give them epidurals. In addition to this, there was very little space in the holding rooms, the majority of the air came from a fan, and some could not help but cry, weep, and whimper out in agony.
I believe that anyone who has empathy and a heart could feel their pain based on the looks of their body language. The second day was humbling because I began to understand the importance of serving communities, not just solely “your” community. From the time I suited up in my scrubs, I knew I was on a serious mission. I’ve worn scrubs before, but this time felt a little different. It felt more purposeful. This time arriving at the hospital I felt much different from the first day. I felt overjoyed because that was the day I had been waiting for.
Grabbing the wellness kits made me reflect on all of the trials and tribulations that I endured while strategizing to fundraise, actually fundraising and reflecting on the trials it took to raise money and open a bank amount, almost missing my flight to get to where I was, but most importantly living a purposeful life and being the change that I wanted to see. This moment made me feel grateful to be selected to apply what I have learned about character and humility and to serve these women as if they were my own relatives.
I did not know those women, however, I fought and advocated for those women as if my life depended on it, and to be rewarded with the comfort of knowing that I uplift someone’s spirit and gave someone some form of hope was all of the reward that I needed to know that is my purpose in this thing called life. Additionally, witnessing those women face poverty in that specific space, left me feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. Part of me wanted to continue to complete my initial career goal to become a Physician Assistant to gain the knowledge that I need to make a difference for black women in maternal healthcare settings.
On the other hand, I wanted to pursue a career in Global Public Health to make a difference globally with a broader impact. However, after gaining more insight into Public Health and creating policies, laws differ globally. My best bet is to do what I did in Ghana; make a small impact where I can. I have decided to be a Physician Assistant to create a better healthcare setting and advocate for women, especially black women within this system."
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