Resending po.
Thanks
Reflection Paper on
DEFINING MOMENTS
What incidents/events taught you to be better/transformed you?
1. What is the new learning?
2. What is the relation to what I already know?
3. What have I done, am doing, will be doing for this
Marizel M. Catungal, MD
DREAM EARLY, DREAM BIG
There are several defining moments in life that have transformed me. To pick each one is a trip to memory lane. To organize thoughts in my mind, let me start when I was a kid. I mentioned in my Learning Agreement the reason behind why I wanted to become a doctor. At a young age of 5, I was frequently sick. Unlike other kids, my trip to my doctor was a welcome treat for me. My doctor became my idol and at very young age, my sickness became my defining moment- it defined what I have become now. Not only being a doctor, I wanted that time to be like her, a pediatrician. She was very beautiful, graceful, and elegant and her touch was like magic. Growing up, this has been my goal, to transform me from a sickly child to a beautiful, successful doctor. It was not an easy task, but gradually, now I can say that I'm almost that person and continue to improve as the person I wanted to become since I was 5 years old.
PARENTS TAUGHT US WELL IN LIFE
My parents are very hardworking and they have sacrificed most of their time to give us better future. My father, a high school graduate, worked as an OFW ever since I remember. He lacked a college degree but because of years of experience and diligence in his work, he was respected plumber in the company he worked in Saudi Arabia. My mother did not finish high school buthad her small businesses while performing her tasks as a housewife. She would sell wedding accessories, glass wares, native products etc. She had a small stall in our town's public market, growing up, I saw her spending most of her daytime in the store. I remember helping her out in the store many times. Those times were hardtimes. There were days we had good sales but there were also days when we only had very few costumers. Money was very hard to earn. I saw my mother patiently worked hard to augment the income of the family. Thosedays, as a young girl, would daunt me. I didn't want this to happen when my time will come. I dreamt of becoming a professional.
So as a child, I learned that one of the ways to become rich is to be a professional, to be a doctor! I didn't want to end up not finishing school. I saw the fate of my parents. Although they were able to give us comfortable life, for me, they have sacrificed a lot. They have lost their precious time being with us, my father worked most of the time abroad and my mother spent many years in her store. I excelled in school. From elementary, high school, college and graduate top 5 in class. I even got 9th place in the Board of Medical Technology. I was always focused in school.
I gave my promise to my parents that I will finish school and will be a doctor. I fulfilled my promise. I remember our college yearbook in Medicine. I wrote in my page that soon by Papa will be wearing his jeans and boots and drive his car. Few years after I started my private practice, I told my father to go home and retire from Saudi. I gave him my promise. I supported them and took care of them. One day, I came home with a new car; I gave them their brand new SUV. It was a joyful moment; they didn't ask for it, it was a promise I only fulfilled.
Seeing my parents now dependent on me taught me another lesson. When our time with my husband will come, I would like to tend for ourselves and be self-sustaining. It was again a turning point. My parents spent their lifetime working but during their retirement days, almost nothing is left for them. They gave it all for us. Again, I didn't want to be in their situation. So early in my practice, I started investing for passive income, insurance and retirement money. We tell our children to be better as a person, pursue their dreams, with our support but hopefully we will not be fully dependent on them especially financially during retirement years.
THERE IS LIGHT AFTER TRAGEDY
I met my husband in premed college days. I was deeply focused in my study then, but our first meeting started a life long commitment with each other. Tragedy came early in our marriage when our first-born daughter died at 2 days old. I had preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that puts the life of the mother and child at risk. Losing my first-born child was difficult, emotionally and spiritually. I cried everyday, my life stopped, I stopped dreaming, I isolated myself for almost a month. Then, my husband, seeing me depressed, talked to me and said, "Please stop crying or I too will stop and cry". These words suddenly awakened my senses and motivated me to start all over again. I love my husband and I wanted life with him. At this moment, I realized that a tragedy might be a turning point. I decided to move on. I have to go on with life with him. After that day, I started to go back to the hospital and finished my internship. I applied for the board exam and passed it. We were blessed with another healthy daughter after almost 2 years, and we were almost contented. However, my dream of becoming a successful doctor kept daunting me. I was not content being a general practitioner. I juggled being a new mother that time but I decided to pursue further training. I applied Residency training program in Manila and was privileged to be accepted at St. Luke's Medical Center. It was a dream come true, but was never easy, I have to leave my 6 months old baby and husband. Sacrifice, perseverance, patience and faith were all I had when I left Baguio City and lived in Manila for training. Everyday, I would always think that I am aday nearer my goal. "Matatapos din 'to". Everyday, every single day. Looking back, whenever I am with my Residents in training in AUFMC, I tell them my story of patiently waiting for the day to come. Training is hard, but it is essential, it is tiring and long but it will finish.
VALUING PEOPLE, VALUING FRIENDSHIP
I was the Chief Resident during my senior year of Internal Medicine Training. And one of the privileges of being a Chief Resident is having a sure slot to any Fellowship Training Program at St. Luke's Hospital. My first love is to be a pediatrician, but because of the loss of my child, I lost my enthusiasm in Pediatrics. I gained so much interest in Cardiology and Gastroenterology (GI). The head of the GI that time persuaded me to apply in their section. However, 2 of my co residents who happened to be my friends already expressed their desire to apply in GI. I didn't want to interfere with their chances, since only 2 slots were allotted for fellowship. I valued our friendship hence; I didn't try to apply in GI. My friends made it to GI and are now successful gastroenterologists. I could have been a cardiologist but because of hard times then, I have to spend 3 years of cardio compared to 2 years of Nephrology, I decided to be a nephrologist. It was not a first choice, but it wasn't a bad choice neither. Now, I became a full pledged nephrologist and very satisfied with my decision.
TOO LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS
I remember a mentor telling us "too little knowledge is dangerous", so he told us read, read, explore, ask, seek. This is very important in Medicine because of the dynamism of the science. Every minute, every hour, new things, new discoveries emerge. To learn new things is a drive to be better. Not only to improve skills and knowledge but most importantly to improve patient care. Even though I finished subspecialty training, continuing medical education is part of my personal commitment.
It has always been my plan to put up my own dialysis unit. But because of demanding work schedule, load of patients, it took sometime to realize this. In 2014, during the wedding of one of our colleagues, 6 of us, all nephrologists in Pampanga met and talked about our common desire to have our own unit not connected to a hospital- a freestanding dialysis clinic. We spent several months working on it and partnered with the world's leading dialysis provider- Fresenius Medical Care. Our mission is to provide quality renal replacement therapy using the latest state of the art facility in the caring hands of certified and highly trained personnel. Our vision is to be the industry benchmark in Renal Related Services in Central Luzon by 2020. We envisioned growing further and have branches in provinces of Central Luzon. One of the down side is, none of us has a background in business administration. We are basically all clinicians and have no background in financial management, accounting or personnel management. Just like in Medicine, in business, "too little knowledge is dangerous". Realizing this, I volunteered to study. Hence in June 2014, I enrolled in MBA Regis at Ateneo School of Business in Clark. This is a new learning for me and eventually realizing that, MBA is not only for my new company, but also for my self-fulfillment. AGSB taught me the value of thinking for others, the value of looking for self worth in helping others, the value of being a better Filipino so that we can do something for our nation. 4
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