left behind, even if they are being difficult. Thirdly, never give up on any patient. Also, I go to Ghana every year to teach students at University of Cape Coast Medical School. I hope that when I retire in a couple of years, I can give back more to Ghana, in terms of volunteering. Our Ghanaian doctors are good, but sometimes they are unable to think through when there are complications, and this would be my focus. I hope my legacy transcends the medical field, for Iwould alsowant tobe remembered for taking care of the needy and doing philanthropic works. A couple of years ago, while in Ghana, I saw myself in a young man selling phone cards on the streets. Upon chatting with him, I realized that he was intelligent and should be in school. He confirmed that he was actually a 1st year university student, but had no financial support, so he helped a friend to sell phone cards in order to raise funds for fees and food. I committed to financially helping him finish university, so he could focus on his studies. He is in his 3rd year of University now. I am living proof of how education can change the trajectory of one’s life and yet without the right financial support, it’s so easy to drop out and notmake it. Currently, I pay school fees for several needy students and am actively involved in the Royal Seed Orphanage which Jennifer had adopted several years before I met her. I am confident that the beneficiaries of our giving back will one day pay it forward and make a difference in their generation. I am a member of the Fante Association in Dayton and I willingly accept whenever I am called upon to give talks on health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and kidney diseases. I am a founding member of the Swesco Alumni of USA and serve on its board. I am a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Nephrology and a member of the American Society of Transplantation. I am also a member of theCatholicDoctors Association and the Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America. Inspiration My biggest inspiration was my father. Before my father died, he told me some things which have helped to shape me. He asked me not to be envious of anyone, then he said, to follow the principle of the four Ds. The first was desire. I had to desire to become somebody, and I must be determined to achieve this aim, I should be dedicated to the cause and finally I was to show discipline to the cause. My mother was uneducated, but she was a force inmy life. My late elder brother was my greatest support, andmy aunt, Mrs. Comfort Engmann, who I got to know later in life, was indeed very helpful to me. My other sources of inspiration come from movies, books, documentaries and sometimes people I don’t even know. I was very inspired by people like Martin Luther King, people who came from nowhere but rose to become somebodies. They gave me hope that everything was possible. 39 The Birthday Journal
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