I am a member of the Social Fabric and Collective Bias Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser, Brawny as part of their #StrengthHasNoGender #cbias campaign.
There are only 90-something days until graduation. This week, the next year’s interns will match and I always get nostalgic this time thinking about how far I have come.
I’m so excited when I see young women matching into their dream specialties - especially the mamas, because those images are what kept me going when medicine was just a dream... They were my SHEroes.
A SHEro is a woman who embodies strength, courage, the confidence to be herself, and does it all while uplifting those around her. We all know these women.
I am related to them, I work with them, and these women are my patients. I strive to be them.
This year for Women’s History Month, I’ve partnered with Brawny® paper towel in their Strength Has No Gender™ campaign. Brawny®'s brand mission is inspiring others to overcome life's challenges with strength and resilience. We are highlighting the everyday “SHEro Stories” of women who are dominating fields that have been traditionally dominated by men. You can find more information on their campaign page: Here.
Not only have they given their packaging a timely makeover to celebrate women, but what I love the most is that they want to hear as many SHEro stories as possible, because they have an amazing message to spread:
GIRLS INC. PARTNERSHIP MODULE SHEROES OF TOMORROW: Brawny® will donate a $100K and, will also give your SHEro stories to Girls Inc. to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Let’s shape a better future and prove #StrengthHasNoGender
If that isn’t a reason to tell your story, I don’t know what is!
My journey started as child drawn to medicine but my destination became less clear May 2008 when I found out I was pregnant - the summer before my senior year in college. I laugh today because so much of my plan was contingent on not starting my family until after residency, and I could not see things any other way. Thankfully, I did quickly see it differently in someone else...
I call it divine intervention, that shortly after telling my friends and job about my pregnancy, I was introduced to someone who was living the life I had thought was impossible. She had not only had a baby during college, but was strong enough to not let it derail her dreams, and had made it to medical school where she was thriving. Y’all, to this day, that was one of the most important meetings of my life.
Needless to say, I left that meeting and took the baton. I had my son in January and we were in the car headed to a medical school interview 2 weeks later. I was nursing a newborn in the hotel next door in between my interviews - can you say "stressful"?!
I didn’t get in to medical school that year, but I still clung to the dream. I graduated from Michigan on time, packed up my baby, and we moved to Indianapolis so that I could do a post-bac program and reapply. It meant moving way out of my comfort zone. It meant going to school full time while parenting a baby all alone. But I was not going to back down.
By the spring, I had two medical school acceptances - one of them included a full tuition scholarship.
I started blogging. If I could do it, I wanted the next young woman to never doubt that she could too.
I finished medical school, adding another little to the bunch, and I matched into my number one program. One of the top OBGYN programs in the country.
These four years have flown by. I’ve delivered hundreds of babies, performed awesome surgeries, been able to present research at conferences, and teach medical students. Most times it’s tough, but sometimes it seems like a dream.
I’m starting a new rotation this week after having 7 weeks of even better hours, less call, and even a vacation thrown in there. I have been living my best working mom life - school pick-ups, working out, making dinner (sometimes), and plenty of self care.
Like much of residency, the pendulum swings between lifestyle extremes and occasionally you get to hang out in the sweet spot. Things are going to shift in the other direction, but I’m ready to end this chapter strong.
When you’re a doctor mom, your time at home can be scarce at times and is so precious. The last thing you want to do is spend it cleaning up messes. Efficiency is everything and Brawny® Pick-a-Size 8 Giant Plus is so clutch because it helps me keep things neat during snack time and has more sheets per roll - which means our weekly run to Wal-Mart is enough, and I can get back to what matters most - spending time with my kiddos.
My nine year old asked me if that was me on the Brawny packaging. The fact that he thinks I'm cool enough to be on there makes this crazy life all worth it...
OK ladies! It's your turn. I want to hear about your own personal SHEro stories. Let's inspire some young girls and start a movement!
You can find the limited-time Strength Has No Gender™ pack available at Walmart.
