Staying Fit
Paul Spella; (Source: Getty Images (2))
Dr. Ruth Gottesman is my new [S]hero.
In what is inarguably the greatest feel-good story of the year thus far, the 93-year-old widow donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx to cover student tuition in perpetuity. Yes, you read that right.
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Gottesman could have bought three minutes in outer space, but instead, she chose this.
Not a huge yacht, but this. Not a social media platform, but this. She picked the betterment of society as a whole instead of making crass grasps for more rich-people toys.
Even more heartening is the fact that there are others who are channeling her spirit of goodwill.
Aren’t we all a little tired of reading about the limitless greed of the uber-rich? How refreshing is it to hear about a billionaire doing things right?
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And, oh my, the good Dr. Gottesman’s money will do!
In an era where many would-be doctors must choose between becoming something else or racking up in excess of $200,000 in crushing student debt to wear a stethoscope, the impact of this gift can’t be overstated. It is a game-changer.
The prospect of graduating debt-free from medical school will most certainly help broaden and diversify the school’s applicant pool and maybe even encourage future doctors to pay things forward.
Medicine needs more primary care practitioners willing to work in underserved and impoverished communities. Strapped with college debt, many wind up working in the more lucrative specialty fields of medicine. The hope is that not graduating in debt will translate into better care for those who really need it.
But Gottesman’s gift tapped into something that goes way beyond the donation itself: It brought a ray of sunshine to our world which has been feeling increasingly grim. She reminded us of what kindness, humanity, and yes, good news look like and how much better we feel when we immerse ourselves in the calm waters of life.
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