Growing up, like most children, I loved to play with toys, color and was carefree. My health, according to my routine checkup, was in perfect condition. That remained “true” until one day my Kindergarten teacher was forced to swing me over her shoulder and rush me to the nurse because I was having extreme difficulty breathing. After extensive testing, it was later revealed to my mother that I had severe asthma- a serious respiratory condition that would affect me for the remainder of my life. As a five year old I felt scared and perhaps even angry at the thought that I was different from my peers. In the following weeks, my asthma worsened as I spent most nights continuously coughing and wheezing, unable to sleep because my chest felt like…show more content… Although I had tried almost every available medicine, and it seemed like there were limited options in my case, Dr. Kashmiri refused to simply turn me away. He conducted extensive research and eventually found a new medication for asthma that was just released, wasting no time in prescribing me it. A few months after that initial appointment, my asthma became manageable. I was even allowed to slowly begin participating in some light physical activities. Now, more than a decade later, I am a student-athlete that has successfully competed in sports ranging from soccer to karate- all thanks to Dr. Kashmiri and his resilience. During a time when there were limited medications to treat asthma and my mother was desperate for a solution to my medical condition, Dr. Kashmiri was the one person that cared enough to research every medication until he found something that was effective for me. This ability to help people, especially when they are at their weakest points, is why I desire to become a
