M has always been very close to me. She joined our hospital’s oncology department over ten years ago as a radiation technologist. Currently, she works as a medical physicist in our department and is the only female physicist in our hospital.

Her presence here is not due to luck or extraordinary circumstances; she has dedicated immense effort to her career. While many of her peers in the same position remain in …

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I was leaving the mall after purchasing a gift for a friend. Her birthday was the next day, and after spending hours searching for the perfect present, I finally bought an expensive wallet that I was sure she would love.

It was a chilly evening, and as soon as I left the mall, I immediately felt the real intensity of the cold. The heating system inside the mall had masked the …

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My mother has always been very close to me. I was her eldest daughter, born in an unfamiliar city where she had relocated as a newlywed bride. She didn’t have any family or friends in this unfamiliar city. I was practically her only friend.

My mother began sharing her problems with me when I was very young. Sometimes I think she shared too much. She also told me intimate details about …

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My mom won’t be home that weekend

Since it was a Sunday, I told my dad that I needed to wake up early for work, so he should wake me up in the morning.

My mom and dad have very different approaches to waking up their children.

My mom’s approach is more aggressive. She shouts at the top of her lungs, turns on the light, and snatches the quilt from us. Sometimes, she …

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I have worked in clinical oncology in Pakistan. As an oncology physician, I was not supposed to interact with patients in the ER. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with recent medical graduates in an emergency medicine setting. This experience was new for me, as I have been focused on oncology for a long time.

However, that’s the beauty of life—it pushes us to do things we never thought we …

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I have an eye for finding beautiful clothes. Though I find jeans and shirts/kurtas comfortable, I’m not sure why I adore the shalwar kameez so much! Perhaps it’s because it’s my national dress, and I adore everything that connects me to my homeland. Secondly, I’ve been wearing it since I was a child. My mother was an expert at sewing clothes, and she made all of my dresses.

Jeans and shirts/sweaters/kurtas/tops …

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I believe in forgiveness and not hating anyone, no matter what. But, ultimately, we are all human. I believe in karma, and we should not hurt or push people to their limits so much that they become damaged beyond repair. I’ve seen cruel people end up in miserable lives. Some people excel at concealing their sorrows, while others struggle. But we indeed reap what we sow. Those who are cruel …

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I visited my school after many years. I enrolled in first grade in 1998 at age five and graduated from FSc Pre-Medical (12th grade) in 2011. After that, I started medical school in 2012, and since then, I haven’t returned to my school.

It was one of those schools where skipping classes was simply not an option. The teachers were professional, dedicated, and sincere. Although it was a government school with …

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In today’s medical world, cancer treatment guidelines are constantly evolving. CME events are held worldwide to help health care professionals become more familiar with new treatments. They can be live events held at specific locations or online activities. I will not go into further detail about the CMEs or industry-sponsored CMEs because that is not the focus of this story.

The best thing about being a physician is the opportunity to …

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I enjoy buying gifts for people I adore. It’s my love language. I enjoy seeing the smile, joy, or surprise in the eyes of those who receive my gifts. I live for these moments.

There were times when people did not express how much they appreciated my gift, but I could see it in their eyes. It’s not just my wild imagination; it’s because I’m always confident that what I buy …

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Almost three years ago, I was the chief resident of our training program. The chief resident was primarily responsible for designing curricular activities in collaboration with the faculty, attending and representing the department and the residency program at the majority of hospital and administrative meetings, providing regular updates on resident performance, designing the on-call schedule and rotations, and supervising juniors.

It was the most difficult job for me. I found it …

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Sometimes in life, we experience feelings of desperation, uncertainty, confusion, or curiosity.

I was desperate and wanted to explore my options regarding employment after completing two fellowships, one in oncology and the second one in palliative care.

I don’t have many opportunities in my city due to the limited number of oncology centers. So I started considering other centers, especially in the surrounding cities.

I was thinking about the nearest city, which is …

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Since I was a child, I have despised the words “May you live long.”

I felt like it was a curse.

My younger brother, who knows my thoughts, used to joke, “Allah kre tumhari itni lambi umar ho, tum marne ko tarso!” (May Allah bless you with such a long life that you will pray for your death.)

He still wishes the same for me. (He wants me to suffer.)

I used to say …

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I am 31, and my dad turned 54 this year. He had me when he was just 23 years old. I was born in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and he came from a small village in Punjab.

He is a self-made man who struggled all his life to give his children a better future. No one from our village ever went to school. He was the first to get …

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He is 75 years old, and I am 30. Wondering how we met? It was a very casual meeting in a park.

I live in a four-story building with numerous flats. There is a long walking and jogging track and a playground in front of my building.

On the opposite side of this ground, there are huge bungalows and fancy houses.

People from both sides of the road come here to walk and …

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I’m at a loss for words—how can someone give something so beautiful to a complete stranger who is nothing more than a doctor?

I first met him a year ago when he was referred to us by the neurosurgery department following his brain tumor surgery.

I was the first doctor to meet him in the radiation oncology clinic. He was 40 years old, a laborer from the lower middle class, and accompanied …

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