I am on a never-ending quest for truth. It is what gets me up in the morning and truly delights me day after day. This is also what has compelled me to be so fascinated with medicine and my patients. I love being a pediatric resident. I love interacting with my patients mostly because I know that they will be frank with me. When I ask one of my toddler patients what hurts, where it hurts or what’s wrong, I know that they will tell me. I don’t presume to be the pied-piper- I just know how the system works.
Whenever I walk into an examination room, I look at the parents first and know full well that my patient is sizing me up. As I am talking to the parents and asking various questions, I also like to look at the patient from time to time and verify their history with them. I am always thrilled when my patient decides to start speaking with me directly. In all interactions, unless the child is critically ill, my primary goal is to speak directly to my patient and establish a connection. My secondary goal is to make the parents feel and know that they are part of a larger team that has been put together to care for their child. I also want parents to know and feel that no request or concern that they have is too big or too small, especially if it is concerning the care of their child.
I do this because I remember what it was like to be a child. In some cases, there were some glorious times that I had, though there were also some bumps and bruises along the way. I used to love roaming around my back yard and exploring the vast expanse of sky. I could create floating clouds of dirt and watch the ground slip through my fingers. Or adorn my clothes with stains of grass while I slipped and slid down our lush green hills. My favorite past time was grabbing one of my plaits and twirling it around like a bumble bee… buzzing in my ear ever so softly. I never dared to stop dreaming and my life was truly my canvas.
One of the fundamental truths that I was born with is that I was different. This difference had little to do with the fact that I was a little girl with plaits growing up with ponytails and crew cuts. Instead, this had more to do with me being able to see people. As a little girl, growing up I felt invisible at times and was subsequently treated as such. However, it was those times where I felt transparent that I was able to stop and look at the world around me. I became very good at seeing who the people were who surrounded me in all circumstances. I listened to their hopes and dreams, saw how they treated others and how they behaved towards themselves. In most cases, I eventually became friends with those who taunted me the most. I suspect that it had to do with the fact that I saw a deep loneliness in my tormenters while they in turn saw a loving acceptance within me. All in all, the most important life experience that I have learned is that people are individuals with their own unique talents and purposes.
Every time I see a new baby, I delight in their expressions of constant wonder. I laugh at how some babies never close their eyes and constantly try to take in the world and all that it has to offer. This is why I love children. They are beacons of joy, light, and energy who constantly fuel the endless waves of imagination. Children are also able to see people for who they are and treat them accordingly. Have you ever been to a playground of toddlers? Are children grouped according to gender? Eye or hair color? Skin color? Or are they running around, holding hands, running from one another and laughing together?
I can never escape the beauty of children. They surround me day after day. This is also the reason that I wanted to create my Ishababies characters to have meaning. I wanted people to have a friend who they could talk to and feel safe with. I wanted to create characters that were unique and compelling in their own individual ways- just like each child. By creating, my hopes are that people will come to see the world as a group of individuals with different passions and dreams. My hopes are that my patients grow up to be conscientious citizens who cultivate their own talents and celebrate others.
There is nothing more amazing than hearing a child’s laugh or seeing a smile. This is what sustains me in being a doctor and compels me to thrive in toy design. I will never stop dreaming.
