I have kind of been thinking about why there are doctors and healthcare. I always came up with the same answer. That is, for the sake of the patient. However, somehow, this answer is not enough. They are not just for the sake of the patient; I have come to think that they for the sake of people (everybody). This is because I don’t think a doctor’s job is not just to heal illnesses. I have come to think that the important job of a doctor is protecting people’s health.

So then, what can we, as doctors, do for people to protect their health? I thought about a lot of things. There is one thing that there is no mistake about. When you are dying, being able to say, “I had a good life!” is the the best thing there is. That is a good way to die. In order to die well, you have to live well. When I think about this,  I remember my grandmother.

My grandmother ran a small fish market called, “Nakasada.” Even though it was a just small fish market, it had a long history of almost 50 years. My grandmother loved me with all her heart. When I came home, she brought over some delicious fresh fish and said, “Let Masaya eat this.” Even this grandmother’s health is deteriorating recently, and she has had to go to the hospital a lot. So, finaly, the doctor advised her to stop the hard work of being a fishmonger. My grandmother once followed the doctor’s advice and stopped working. However, four days after her shop was closed, my mother went to my grandmother’s house and there were fish piled all over the shop. My mother was surprised. My grandmother said, “I couldn’t sit still for four days. Even if it shortens my life by one year, that is fine. I will be a fishmonger.” And so, the fish shop Nakasada was back in business after being closed for four days.

My grandmother was set on living life on her own terms. She gave me courage because of the way she lived her life. She gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I want to be a doctor who is able to help people and live a good life.  I am obsessed with becoming a doctor that is more concerned with how people can live a satisfying life than making them live as long as possible.