As an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska, Al applied to medical school. When he wasn’t accepted, he was devastated. Shortly after, he began to have right arm weakness. It was so severe, he was unable to write with his right hand. When he went to his doctor, he was diagnosed with hysterical paralysis. The doctor explained this was a psychological reaction to not being accepted into medical school.
When Al finished his bachelor’s degree, he entered the Anatomy Department Master’s Program at the University of Nebraska. His hysterical paralysis slowly resolved and became a long-lost memory. When he completed his Master’s, he again applied to Medical School. This time he was accepted! Because he had his Master’s in Anatomy, he completed Medical School in just three years. During this time, he did research at the University of Michigan. The focus of his research was neurological movement changes in mice. This led him to decide, he wanted to become a Pediatric Neurologist.
Following medical school, Al was accepted into the Pediatric Residency at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He spoke with the Pediatric Neurology team about his interest in their Fellowship Program (Training and research to become a Pediatric Neurologist). They verbally agreed he was a good fit. However, when the time to apply arrived. They had another applicant who had full funding for their research. This made that applicant more desirable than Al. Suddenly, Al’s career dream was crushed and he was devastated.
Al and I were just newlyweds at this time. In a few months, he would become a Pediatrician. But, he didn’t want to be a general Pediatrician. He had long before decided, he wanted a more focused career. He was overcome with anxiety about what to do. Slowly he began to notice dumbness on the bottoms of his feet. This numbness added to his worries. As the days wore on, the numbness gradually rose from the bottom of his feet to his legs. When the numbness rose to the thigh region, he was very concerned. He had no idea what was causing the numbness. After many appointments and tests , he finally was seen by a Neurologist. They concluded he had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Furthermore, they explained, the previous diagnosis of hysterical paralysis was likely his first episode of MS. They started him on steroids. The steroids resolved the numbness in his legs. Though the numbness of the bottoms of his feet never resolved.
Just to finish Al’s career decision story…When the Hematology/Oncology team learned he was looking for a Fellowship Program. They quickly recruited him to their team. This was the best decision of his life. It allowed him to treat unbelievably brave children. Despite being unable to cure them all. He always rewarded knowing he wasstriving to make a difference in their lives.