My name is Justin Tyler Millares; I am a senior at Mater Lakes Academy High School. I live with my parents and younger sister. We are like almost every other family, always living in the fast pace of today’s society. I am a firm believer that a person true character shows in that moments or trials. How you handle everything that gets thrown your way molds you into the person you are or becoming.
Throughout the course of my life, I have had several experiences that made me question who I was as a person. One in particular has influenced my decisions and aspirations throughout high school. During my freshman year, I began to feel sensations that my family and I would eventually call “episodes” and not one physician could provide a medical explanation. After a year undiagnosed, I began to question whether I could continue to play baseball in high school or even become a doctor in the next two decades. Fortunately, half way through sophomore year, we were referred in the direction one of my doctors, Dr. Rodriguez from Cleveland Clinic. Just after our initial appointment, she was assured they were seizures. They decided to admit me for further testing, and within days they confirmed my diagnosis as epilepsy – frontal lobe seizures and prescribed the proper medication to control it.
Because we were beyond the point of believing that there was nothing wrong, knowing my sickness came as a relief; it was the fear of the unknown that was slowly killing my passion to become a doctor.
After I was diagnosed with epilepsy, I knew what field of medicine I would want to pursue: Neurosurgery.
With all these challenges, I knew I’d have to adhere to some changes to be able to achieve all I hope to become. I have been able maintain a 4.8 GPA and finding the time to sharpen my baseball skills has not been an easy task. This is where I have learned discipline and time management, for these things are required when juggling multiple extracurricular activities. I always prioritize school over my extracurricular activities, especially since my passion for medicine over exceeds my love for baseball.
I know my journey is just beginning. Everything from learning about my background to having life changing experiences to identifying, who I am as a person, has influenced my determination to study medicine. Fifteen years from now I picture myself in Dr. Rodriguez’s shoes; the only difference will be that instead of prescribing medicine, I will be performing a self-invented surgery that will ride my patient of epilepsy.
Justin ‘JT” Millares #14
Class of 2016
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