I volunteer my time to little girl named Charlotte who’s autistic. And if you ask any number of my classmates, you’ll find there’s something that they do outside of medical school cause I think you have to. You have to do something that reminds you of why you went to medical school in the first place.
I’ve seen tremendous changes in Charlotte in the last couple of years. When I met her she had a very limited vocabulary and now she says, “Hi, Libby” and she responds to questions and asks me for things that she needs. We don’t know much about the science behind autism. Working with Charlotte I’ve learned that humans respond on many levels to care. She knows we love her and we’re going to spend time with her and we’re going to work with her at her level. I think she senses our motivation – our attitude. I’ve learned not to be afraid to get my hands dirty when she throws her rice. Charlotte doesn’t know anything about my studying to be a doctor—the only thing that’s important to her is that I come and love her and we have fun.
