Matt
The bond between parents and children is one of the strongest that can exist between two individuals: both parties complement each other by benefiting from each other’s experiences.
Sometimes, children decide to imitate their parental figures not only on a personal level, but also by choosing to follow in their footsteps. In this touching story, the father and daughter “walk” on the same path and pursue their journey side by side with only one mission: to do good. Let’s see how.
Life is weird sometimes. My dad got a job at the same hospital at the start of my PGY2 year. He’s a cardiac surgeon. I want to be a cardiac surgeon. Some would think this is odd or even problematic, but it’s turned out to be an absolute joy and privilege. @AspiringCTS @WashU_CT pic.twitter.com/TFzVZfkq81
— Sophia Roberts, MD (@SophiaHRoberts) May 26, 2022
Sophia Roberts, a young doctor from Missouri (United States), has been training since childhood to become a cardiac surgeon like her father. From a young age, she showed a great interest in her father’s work, which stimulated her greatly in the medical field: “Instead of reading her fairy tale books, I showed her my anatomy books,” he recalls.
Harold Roberts (the father) took Sophia, then 11 years old, to witness her first operation, where she was able to see her father operate on a mitral valve. “Instead of being nervous, she was fascinated and rather calm, she watched carefully and seemed to really appreciate what she saw.” Even her father did not expect such an experience.
By pure coincidence, Harold had found a job in the hospital where his daughter was specializing, and when he learned of a patient requiring heart surgery, he informed Sophia. The young surgeon was immediately interested and began to study the case in depth in order to be as well prepared as possible for her first operation.
The operation involved replacing the patient’s aortic valve and the father and daughter did an exemplary job by helping each other: “Sophia did a very good job, she was smooth and focused throughout the operation,” commented her father. “It’s incredible: it seems like only yesterday I was teaching her how to ride a bike and now I accompanied her during her first open-heart operation!”
The promising surgeon also commented on the event: “It’s very special that I operated with him during my first operation, even if, when you operate, you have to focus only on the patient and make sure everything goes well.” And that’s what happened: the patient is in excellent health after the operation.
