| Fairfax Cryobank |
| Donor 2700 Essay Profile |
| Questions |
| Essay Questions |
What is your most memorable childhood experience? Many of my most memorable childhood experiences centered around my summertime visits to my grandfather's farm. I would spend all day killing time in anticipation of driving out to his lake and fishing in the evening. He never had air conditioning, and the house was very muggy and dusty during the day. After fishing, we would load our little aluminum boat into the back of the truck, and drive the back roads by the river and near some tall isolated parking lot lights looking for ornamental silk moths. By the time we made it to dinner and home, I was utterly exhausted. Some of my most peaceful sleep is still stolen while riding in the car with the windows down in the summer. What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? Out of my family, I most closely identify with my paternal grandfather. He was the last brother of three, born in a rural area. While his brothers took over the family construction business, he went to college and worked in finance before retiring into farming. I was born on this farm and lived there until a young age. I always thought that my grandfather was the most practically intelligent person I had met. He is strong but caring, independent, loves the outdoors and has a very funny, sarcastic sense of humor. What character traits do you admire in an individual? The traits I most admire in an individual are empathy, kindness and generosity, and perseverance. Intelligence and ingenuity without empathy, kindness, and generosity have little worthwhile application. What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? When I was in medical school, we had paid volunteers teach us to do the GYN and prostate exams. The volunteers worked in teams and first demonstrated on each other, then let us give a try. When I went to the clinic to learn the prostate exam, a group of us were sitting in the waiting room, when a Steve Irwin (Croc Hunter) look alike burst into the room in a safari hat with a chin-strap, and short, tight khaki shorts. He was far too enthusiastic about the whole experience, seemingly giddy about the idea of being probed by a group of 5 medical students. If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? Rich in history, culture and wildlife, I have always wanted to make an extended trip to Africa. I was almost able to make a medical mission trip to Ghana while in medical school, but was unable to finance the trip. I was scheduled to work on a hospital ship and volunteer at a mission hospital for a period of time. Given the opportunity, I would like to make a similar trip and integrate an extended sightseeing and wildlife tour. When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? My wife and I have 2 children. I would like to pass on to them empathy, an appreciation of the world around them, a good work ethic, and the ability to ignore the smaller stresses in life. | |||