When All You Have is Faith
My Journey to Becoming Dr. West
by
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That first Friday was when the gravity of what I had done hit me. I had moved to a new country, with no friends or family or church home. Once again, I had left my family behind to chase this dream of becoming a doctor and I had no idea how it would work out.
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The week before our first exam was the white coat ceremony. This was the event that we got adorned in the white coat and recited the Hippocratic Oath. It was like a rite of passage that marked your transition into the healthcare field. My older brother attended the ceremony and watched as this initiation occurred.
I have always loved the speeches they give at these kinds of ceremonies. They encourage you to think about your future and see all the possibilities. I only remember the speaker talking about meeting someone on the train that later became a great resource for his journey; his encouragement was to network and be open to the possibilities.
I walked up the steps as they called my name with my coat draped over my arm and then handed it to the person assigned to put the coat on me. This was the moment that I was accepting the responsibilities of a doctor.
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About the Book
When All You Have is Faith depicts a roller coaster ride of emotions as Ashea West navigates college, medical school, grief and financial hardship. It’s a story about her dream to become a doctor that started with just a little faith in God, no plan B and an empty bank account. At each roadblock, she watches as God shows her unmerited favor when she was about to give up and throw in the towel. Dr. West speaks about failures, doubts, successes and the other side of medicine that we don’t always get to see. Her aim is to challenge others not to be afraid of starting their own journeys. At the end of her book, there is a hidden journal for readers to record their own testimonies and experiences, in hopes that by sharing their story, others will come to know Christ better.
About the Author
Dr. Ashea West is a Jamaican Christian author who has written for The Helping Hand in Bible Study: Seventh Day Baptist Adult/Youth Sabbath School Lessons (devotionals for her denomination), Surviving the Changes (her blog about her medical school journey - Asheaashe.wordpress.com) and Christian Today Australia (an online Christian magazine based in Australia). Her journey started in Jamaica then took her to New York, Grenada, back to New York and now she has settled in New Jersey to complete her residency training. She is a graduate of the City College of New York and St. George’s University School of medicine. Throughout the years she has shared at different speaking engagements in various churches about what God has been doing in her life. She has always been involved in the youth and young adult ministries at her local church in New York City and back home in Mandeville, Jamaica. Her testimony is truly one that reflects the bible verse in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”