Gifted Hands

I wandered around the library for countless hours until I came across my guardian angel; Gifted Hands, it said, by Dr. Benjamin Carson. I skimmed through the book until I found a page that caught my eye. It had a small diagram, illustrated beautifully, of Siamese twins; they were conjoined at the head. Through the diagram, Dr. Carson explained his process of separating the twins from one another. I glued myself to a chair, ignored my mother’s phone calls, and finished the book in an hour.

I was born in Chennai, India and suffered greatly from the segregated school system. Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School, also known as: the worst ten years of my life. It was a school where children were seated according to their level of intelligence. A school where I failed the third grade and was continuously mocked by my teachers for being “unintelligent”.

I came across Gifted Hands when I moved to America in 2006. I was inspired by how a child who was last in his class came to be the number one neurosurgeon in America. It challenged the way I viewed my life and myself. I’ve always wanted to become a pediatrician and didn’t think this was possible. I never thought I was smart enough to pass third grade, let alone get into medical school. It was Gifted Hands that helped me look past the negative thoughts.

I decided to take control of my life. It was hard at first because we moved constantly and we didn’t know much about America. But I couldn’t give up. I researched and I asked questions. I went on to accomplish great things in high school. Sure there were some ups and downs, but what’s life without them?