MUM DID IT FOR ME: She gave up all for me to pursue my dream career
Change is never easy. Between moving to a new house and starting university, I couldn’t choose which one was the hardest.
Ever since I was little, I always wanted to be a doctor. When kids my age would be grabbing fashion magazines, I would go for the nearest Readers Digest. All through primary school I remember my favorite subject was science. Doctors were my idols. I loved everything from their job to their lab coats and stethoscopes.
On the other hand, I loved our old house. I had made friends, some of whom I even thought of as siblings. The thought of moving made me sick to my stomach. The fact that we were moving to Syokimau made me even sicker. I didn’t know anyone there. The distance to town is terrible. I didn’t think I would be happy.
When I told my mother that I wanted to study medicine, she just swept it under the rug. To her I was just a Form Four leaver who didn’t know what she wanted. But I was determined. I knew what I wanted. So I kept insisting and reminding her that I wanted to study medicine. Hoping that one day it would get through her head.
HAPPIEST GIRL
“You have to find another career Helga; I don’t have the money for medical school,” that’s what my mother would say to me.
Everyone knows medical school is expensive. This is what she was afraid of. We couldn’t afford it. It hurt a lot but there was nothing that I could do. I had two younger siblings who were just as dependent on my mother as I was.
My mom didn’t say or do anything. She seemed a little distant during the weeks following our discussion about medical school. I never knew what she was up to.
I had to embrace the change that was thrown my way. Even though it hurt that I couldn’t pursue my dream, it was comforting that she still wanted me to get my university education. So I decided business management was the way to go. I didn’t want to study business but it was one of the subjects I was good at in high school.
A day before I was to hand in my registration forms, my mom called me to her room. “Turns out you can go to medical school after all.” I didn’t know what she was up to or whether to believe her or not. Of course I was the happiest girl in our family that day. I could finally achieve what I had always wanted all through my childhood.
MEDICAL SCHOOL
I registered and joined medical school. Settling into a new environment was pretty easy. Probably easier than I expected. I had to struggle with catching up but it was worth it.
I was so consumed by school work that I forgot about moving to Syokimau. So you can imagine my surprise when my sister told me we weren’t moving anymore.
I heard mom saying she sold the house because she needed the money. That’s when it hit me. My mother had to sell the house we were to move into for me to go to medical school.
To this day she still doesn’t know that I found out what she did for me. I still don’t have the courage to ask her. But I will always appreciate that she gave up all she had to give me what I wanted.
Caroline Kagose writes for Content Production Media. Content Production Media is a Nairobi based Media Company that creates elegant content for print, online platforms, film and television.
Twitter: @CPMBelieve1