The Nexus

Alex Luong (12) waited anxiously in the busy auditorium, one of the hundreds of high school students present. Suddenly, a voice crackled to life over the microphone.

The orthopedic surgeon at the front of the room quickly introduced himself and informed the audience that they would soon bear witness to a live knee cap replacement.

The projector flickered to life, and the carnage of an actual surgical procedure was revealed.

But Luong wasn’t bothered by the gory scene unfolding before him. This was something he had always dreamed about seeing first-hand, and his chance to do so at the annual National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at UC Berkely was, for Luong, the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I’ve been interested in the medical field from when I was about 7 years old,” Luong said. “[The demonstration] was pretty gruesome, but blood and stuff doesn’t make me sick like it does with other people.”

Luong’s interest in medicine initially began with his parents, who from an early age nudged Luong in the direction of a job in the medical field. In recent years, he has felt himself leaning towards becoming a neurosurgeon.

Yet despite his lifelong interest in the field, Luong’s dream crystallized several years ago when his father suffered from two devastating strokes, both while commuting to work.

The strokes forced his father to take time off work to recover, and the Luong family moved to San Diego to eliminate the need to commute. The ordeal has strengthened Luong’s resolve to become a neurosurgeon, as this is the very profession that he could use to someday help people in positions similar to his father’s.

“After seeing what my dad had to go through, I realized that I want to do something in life to help people who are in need,” he said. “It wasn’t the only reason for the decision, but it definitely played a major role.”

The chance to see the live surgical procedure was part of the two-week long forum at the Berkeley campus. The convention required applicants to submit their PSAT scores, GPA and two letters of recommendation from teachers in order to be considered for selection.

Those who were picked got to spend two weeks living on campus, participating in various activities related to medical studies and often travelling off the Berkeley campus in order to visit hospitals and other medical schools.

“We got to go to Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine to see real cadavers,” he said. “They showed us a brain from a person who had a tumor, the spine of a woman who had scoliosis and the lungs of a deceased smoker. We actually got to touch a lot of the stuff we saw there.”

Luong said the experience was valuable in testing whether or not he was able to handle the intense emotions that often come with dealing with the insides of the human body.

“I was unsure of whether or not I would be able to keep my cool in the presence of the distorted bodies, but in the end, I think the experience was uniquely engrossing,” he said.

In addition to the hands-on medical experiences, the participants also got to meet with med students in order to learn what it’s like to work in the medical field. Luong said these encounters helped him decide whether this was the correct career path to pursue.

“We would have professional business activities and tour med schools so we could ask some of the students questions,” he said. “They taught us about the rigors and perks of pursuing a career in medicine.”

Nowadays, Luong’s father’s condition has returned to normal, but he still tries to avoid stress whenever possible. Meanwhile, Luong continues to follow the path towards someday becoming a neurosurgeon.

“I made the decision at the convention, and even though it’s one of the hardest types of surgery and takes the longest to complete the residency, I made the choice partly because my of my dad’s strokes. Plus, I just think the brain is a really interesting part of the body to work with to help people, and that’s important to me.”