Restarting life

When I returned home early this year and was helping my mother sort through old belongings, I stumbled upon a carefully wrapped box tucked away in the most inconspicuous corner of the entryway cabinet; it was securely bound with several loops of ribbon.

Driven by curiosity, I untied the knot. To my astonishment, inside lay the "old companions" that had accompanied me through the battles of hospital outpatient clinics and wards three decades ago—the medical instruments I once thought would be with me for a lifetime, the tools upon which I had built my career and livelihood.

My eyes welled up instantly; all these years, my parents had been meticulously preserving these items. They lay hidden in the deepest recesses, carrying memories of a weighty past-a past too heavy to speak of lightly, yet too precious to let fade into oblivion.

Whenever I reflect on the past, the deepest sense of indebtedness I feel is toward my parents. My father’s greatest wish had been for me to become a doctor. The moment I graduated from medical school, donned my white coat, and became a qualified physician, marked a time of immense pride for them.

Yet, when I resolutely chose to leave everything behind and move far away, my father’s resignation and my mother’s tears became my deepest regrets. Their subsequent disappointment was as profound as their initial pride; my father even became deeply averse to setting foot inside a hospital. He spent the final ten days of his life alone in the ICU of the very hospital where I had once worked, a painful memory that continues to ache within me, never truly healing.

Today, to honor my late father’s spirit and to let my mother see me regain my former vitality while she is still with us, I have decided to rekindle a long-dormant passion。Although the years have passed and I no longer work on the clinical front lines, I hope to continue dedicating myself to the fields of health and medicine during this next chapter of my life; I aim to transform the insights gained from my decade-long medical career into a bond that bridges Eastern and Western medicine.

Right now, I could simply sit back and show off my children to garner endless applause. Yet, I have always believed that life is about experience; the chapter of raising children has passed, and past honors belong to yesterday. For the years ahead, I seek new experiences and the chance to create my own unique legacy.