Student Reflection

by Johnson Chiu It is with great conviction that I come before you today. Ever since the first day of classes, I have wondered about why these individuals were willing to donate their bodies for medical education and research. It just seemed too wonderful to me that they cared about medicine so much that they were willing to sacrifice their bodies. I have thought to myself whether or not I would be willing to donate my own body for the same purposes. Similarly, if my parents were to donate their bodies, how would I feel? In both cases, I am deeply troubled by this self inquiry. What these individuals have done reveals to me my selfishness versus their selflessness. In many ways, they have shown me the purposes and meaning of medicine. The least I could do in response to their giving of their bodies was to give my own living body selflessly for the purposes of medicine and to one day serve the community as a compassionate and caring physician. As I try to understand why your loved ones were willing to give something as priceless as their own bodies, I am reminded of my inability to understand the love of God. When Jesus spoke to the disciples in John 12:24, He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Jesus Christ meant this for his own crucifixion and the salvation we obtained as a result. Likewise, metaphorically speaking, when your loved ones donated their bodies, they have actually buried their bodies in our minds and our lives so that we may learn and understand how the human bodies function. We are the fruits of their offerings, and their offerings are not in vain because we cannot hope to become physicians without them. Their selfless love and kindness to us, the students, stand as a testimony regarding how much we owe to them. I am grateful and thankful to what they have done, and I would like to assure you that when we become physicians, we will serve you and the society to the best of our capacity.

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