Hold on to your dream whatever the cynics say

I am indebted again to http://www.unstoppable.net for another wonderful story.

When Laughter Isn't the Best Medicine
A Doctor's Remedy for Ridicule
Copyright Ó 2005 by Cynthia Kersey

In 1847, a small blonde woman named Elizabeth Blackwell made a very gutsy move. She applied for admission to a medical college in Geneva, New York. It wasn't the first time she'd applied to medical school, but all the others -- dozens of them -- had rejected her.

In Geneva, the dean was nervous about taking responsibility for this unprecedented request, so he passed the application on to a vote of the school. When the male students read it, they exploded in laughter. It was so obvious to them that this was a practical joke being played by a rival college. "Let's humor them," they decided. Amid a chorus of cheers, jeers, and catcalls, they voted Blackwell in, but the joke was on them. Students and townspeople were horrified when they discovered Elizabeth Blackwell was real. Initially, she was denied access to classroom medical demonstrations as they were deemed "inappropriate" for a woman.

Two years later, she graduated first in her class and became the first woman to graduate from an American medical school. It was publicized all across the country. Publicity however, is not the same as acceptance.

Blackwell found the only place she could continue her studies was in the more liberal minded city of Paris, and even there, she was accepted only as a midwife. While working with children, she contracted an eye disease that left her blind. Her dream had been to be a surgeon, but in the endless storehouse of dreams in the world, hers became just another one. Blackwell would become a physician instead and moved back to the States.

For seven years in New York, Blackwell struggled to find a position but every hospital turned her away. Once again she formed a new plan; she would establish a private practice. The years that followed were lonely ones, with few friends and little support. Her medical colleagues ignored her and she was barred from the city's hospitals and dispensaries. No one would rent her office space, and her mailbox was filled with hurtful, abusive letters. People called her immoral and shameless and compared her to a prostitute.

Finally she opened a small office in the ghetto. No one came. To attract clients, she gave lectures to girls on physical education in the basement of a church. The room was always packed, but her office remained empty. Undeterred, she offered her services for free, but still no one came. Finally, a woman collapsed ill outside her door. Although many male doctors had been unable to help the woman, Blackwell treated her successfully. Now at last, the people came.

Soon Blackwell's practice was thriving, but she didn't stop there. She founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, and later, a Women's Medical College. Applications poured into the college -- applications from people with names like "Marie" and "Lucy" and "Ann."

This time, no one laughed.

"A high purpose lives against every species of opposition."
-Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell