From the very beginning of my development as a teenager, I was amazed and fascinated about how the wonderful world of the human body functions and what is far beyond under the skin. When I was growing I would ask a lot of questions and spend a lot of my time flipping over the pages of Grandfather’s anatomy textbooks. The atlas of the human body frameworks and organs amazed me a lot. “Grandfather, I want to be like you, dressed in white coat, stethoscope around your neck, prescribing and administering drugs to your sick patients’’. Its appealing and relaxing to see patients recover from the drugs you prescribe them. Grandfather would smile and say “Pray and study hard and it will be possible’’. Grandfather loved to have me around him a lot as i was the only one who wanted to take after his profession. He loved to share his knowledge and experiences with me. He opened the windows of my mind to the wonderful world of medicine. Just when I had started my journey, grandfather fell ill, diagnosed with an incurable disease, Osteoarthritis and hypocalcemia which lead to osteoporosis. His health began deteriorating fast.
I remember I could see tears falling down from his eyes due to the immense pain he was going through. After years of battling with this chronic disease with no improvement or cure, grandfather passed away in the hospital. I was emotionally traumatized upon hearing the news of his death. It was very hard for me. That day I said to myself that I will live up the legacy of my late grandfather. I would go out there, prove myself and help whosoever is suffering from this demon of a disease and others even if it was the last thing I would do.
Now am an aspiring medical student, thanks for the motivation from my grandfather. How I wished he was still alive with me today. This would have been one of the best gift he would have ever received. He would have been proud of me too I know.

Written by
Ayuba Muhammad Mailafiya.
Kaduna State University, KASU, Nigeria.
Medic D. in advance.