A LETTER TO EM
Angelena B . Edwards , MD
So many things happen when you transition from teenager to young adult , social media being one of them . It ’ s a time in most people ’ s life when Facebook goes from a network of social activities and a living , breathing diary and photo collage of your happiest memories , to a place you go to keep up with the lives of once close friends who are now barely acquaintances . In college , my Facebook was lively with the events of the most recent Greek dance or football tailgate , but slowly regressed in medical school to becoming a twice-a-year recap of an epic Cadaver Ball with not much activity in between .
As I saw my peers getting married or expecting children , traveling the world or landing that big corporate job , mine was a reflection of the shell of a social life I used to have . It became a way to peer into a world I truly felt left out of , and as I spoke to other medical students I heard them sharing my feelings of solitude . Facebook , and most all social media , began to lose stock for me , especially as applying to residency came into fruition . This once proud , reflective journal of my life became a liability for how the world might view me . During this time I was spending at least eight hours of my day sitting at a desk and reading among my friends . I vividly remember studying for the next block exam when I came across a status post that made me really reexamine my perspective on the world . This introspective thought was provoked from the most unlikely source – a call out of disparity from an estranged high school classmate that would turn into a monumental moment in my medical career .
The author of the request was someone I hadn ’ t spoken to in over five years , but the unnerving part is I knew what was unfolding in her life due to the constant dialog on her Facebook feed . Her post consisted of medical updates of her ongoing struggles to find the diagnoses of her crippling symptoms – symptoms that spiraled a once bright-eyed , intellectual athlete to become a patient being studied from every angle . She was on my swim team in high school , the steady anchor for freestyle , and one who would swim the mile and
FEBRUARY 2017 13