About Me

“Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.” –Bikram Choudhury

I’m just your average marathon-running medical student suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy trying to prove that you’re never too old, too late or too sick to change.

PAST


I figured that it would probably best to describe my past in more manageable portions and divided it out into the pages below.

PRESENT

After completing the Hamilton Marathon, I ended up getting injured. What I initially thought was a trivial injury would turn out to be one of the most disastrous things to ever happen to me.

I ended up getting diagnosed with Stage II – Type I Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy on my left foot.

It is one of the most debilitating diseases that can be encountered. The person is left in constant searing pain on affected area (the pain has been described by some physicians as worse than terminal cancer patient pain).

After enduring countless hours of physical therapy and physical training as well as what felt like an obscene amount of spinal nerve blocks (an injection directly into my spinal cord), my CRPS/RSD has become tolerable, almost manageable.

It was also during my spinal nerve block treatments, I met an anesthesiology intern. He told me that he graduated with a similar undergraduate degree as me (Film Studies) and was about to finish medical school. I became intrigued.

My whole life, I never considered medical school. In fact, prior to contracting CRPS/RSD, I gained acceptance into law school and was about to start the following fall. CRPS/RSD changed everything. However, if it weren’t for the disease, I wouldn’t have discovered the “Sports Medicine” specialty, a specialty that would make me re-consider medicine and take a chance on applying.

Since I could not go the traditional route of North American medical school due to a lack of science credits, I went with a Premed/Med program in the Caribbean.

FUTURE

My goal is to complete my medical degree. And regardless of whether I end up becoming a surgeon or a general physician, I know that I want to go the Sports Medicine Route. My hope is that I can “Pay it forward”, in that I help at least one individual with a serious disease that had been misdiagnosed regain their life.

Weight Loss - A Personal Transformation

How I Got Started Running - What Would Barney Do?

The Case of no Diagnosis - My Injury

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome