Class of 2003
October 13, 1999

When I began thinking about my reflection, I had to pause, how do you ever thank someone who gives you such a tremendous gift. I remember thinking my words could never express the gratitude that I feel. However, I pray I can convey my immeasurable appreciation to all the loved ones here today. I was introduced to my first body on August 19 of this year. As I climbed the 4 flight of stairs to the anatomy lab, I wondered if the body would be a male or a female. As I climbed those 4 flights of stairs, I also pondered about how they had actually made the decision to donate their bodies. Furthermore, would I have done the same? Those thoughts as you can imagine were soon submerged under the demands of committing structures to memories. They would only resurface at odd moments in the lab. I remember tracing the nerves in the palm one day and it suddenly hit me that someone actually gave their hand so that I could understand mine. At that moment, it seemed her hands were stretched as if to say, "here, this is my gift to you," I remember the shame that I felt because I had actually complained earlier about having to be in lab late at night when someone willingly gave of themselves so that I could learn.

With my renewed humility, I proceeded to tackle my future dissections by using the bodies as my best resource. However my frustration continued to mount. In between flipping through the anatomy atlas and examining my dissection, there was a huge discrepancy. The atlas showed a structure but I just couldn't find it. I looked and looked¼perhaps I had my page upside down. I don't know. But as you can imagine and there were many instances like this, this process took awhile since my dissections were never atlas perfect. After a few moments, the body came through for me as they did countless times, confirming that yes the structure (cisterna chyli) actually exist. It's not a ploy by anatomist to torture medical students.

So for me, as you can see, they brought life and perhaps truth to anatomy. How else could I now appreciate the elasticity of arteries, the toughness of ligaments and the boundaries of the million spaces and fossa that I learned but can't promise that I remember now. Although I may have forgotten more anatomy than I learned, I could never forget the generosity of your loved one. Because were it not for them, I would lack the amazement and humility that I have. The amazement simply because the human body is nothing short of God's handiwork and they allowed us to see this handiwork. Humility because they were my first patients who gave me more than I could ever give them.