I was born the fourth son and the tenth of 12 children. My parents pushed education as the way for their children to get ahead in life. They both had a college education. My father graduated in 1948 with a mechanical engineering degree after a medical deferment during World War II, and my mother was a secretary for her father’s real estate company before marriage and was our constant in the home while my dad worked for the City of Detroit. My parents raised us with good morals and strived to provide individual needs for each child’s personality and traits. I grew up in Detroit, was educated in elementary school by Catholic nuns and lay teachers, and went to the city’s public magnet high school, Cass Tech. Growing up in a large family was the only norm I knew. We ate dinner as a family, attended church weekly, fought with each other, encouraged each other, and competed with each other. At least one of us seemed to make it to the emergency room at least once a year. To this day, all of my siblings get along. Despite a tight budget, the oldest 11 children attained more than 17 college degrees from two universities located in Detroit, with all costs for education borne through scholarships, grants, and loans. My youngest brother and my parent’s 12th child has trisomy 21, and his Down’s syndrome had an influence on the career choices of some of my family members. My own choice to pursue medicine as a career stemmed from an exploration of the Encyclopedia Britannica, with its anatomy overlays that mesmerized me.

Fate has a way of happening. My eventual pursuit of medicine ultimately led to meeting my wife during fellowship and raising four beautiful children. To this day, I try to instill a push for education in my own children, along with many interested kids with whom I come in contact.