"I Want To Be A Doctor."

The horrible event that set this story in motion took place when Aishwarya was just six years old.

In her words, “It was a dark day due to some loan problem which my father had taken, and we couldn't repay the amount. So the house owner sent all of us out of our home, and they took all of our things. We were in the street. None of our family members stood by our side.”

Making this memory infinitely worse, both of her parents died that day (I didn’t ask how), and Aishwarya was brought to Angels Orphanage in Bangalore.

The front gate of Angels Orphanage in Bangalore.

As fate would have it, I met Aishwarya three years later in 2014.

I was in Bangalore traveling with my friend Clifton Shipway and we had a free July day ahead of us. On a whim, I suggested we find someone who needed our help and help them. Clifton hopped right on board.

We walked out randomly into the day and ended up at Angels Orphanage. We liked Sabina, the woman who ran the place, and we loved the kids. So we got to work.

Our plan was to make them a new website. As part of that, I shot a promotional video, spending all day with the 70 or so kids who lived there, trying to make them smile. I remember Aishwarya had a big beautiful smile. This is her and Sabina on that day.

Aishwarya on the left, Sabina in the middle. Alot can change in ten years.

After completing the website and launching it, I didn’t have any further connection with Sabina or her kids. I thought my part of the story was done, but fate often works on a much longer timeline.

As it happened, my friend Jenni Kennedy and her husband Peter saw my Angels Orphanage video online and decided to become supporters. With visits and many financial gifts, they became champions for Sabina and the children in her care.

Over the course of the next decade, Jenni was in a position to watch Aishwarya grow and become a star student in her class, ultimately getting accepted at East Point Medical College, one of the top medical research and training facilities in Bangalore.

By Indian standards, this is an expensive school. $65,000 over five years. But when Sabina told the admissions team Aishwarya’s story, they cut the cost by more than half, down to a total of $30,000 or $6000/yr for the 5-year M.B.B.S degree. (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) Plus the orphanage raised another $3500, leaving a total of $2500 for Year One, and $6000 in Years Two, Three, Four & Five.

Which is when Jenni reached back to me and Teach Her, asking if we could help support Aishwarya’s dream of becoming a doctor.

"From my childhood I wanted to become a doctor and do good for the society,” Aishwarya told me. “When I lost my parents, it was like everything is done. But God gave me another home, another mother and the world to achieve my dreams.”

And so we're looking for someone to support Aishwarya through school. This will be the first doctor Teach Her has sponsored with the potential to impact countless lives when she begins practicing in the future.

From that horrible night when 6-year-old Aishwarya was evicted from her home, to my random visit to Angels Orphanage ten years ago, to Jenni and Peter's connection leading to Teach Her's involvement...now, fate needs one final partner.

If you feel inspired, I hope you will consider being the next great part of this story and supporting Aishwarya's education.

* * * STORY UPDATE * * *

Hey everone. I just wanted to share some exciting news. The final piece of this story is now in place! As of 4 PM today, Aishwarya is not only funded for Year One, she has a committed sponsor for the full five years of her medical education! Amazing! Her sponsor's name is Carol, and Carol read about Aishwarya this morning. At the time, she felt like she was being "called" to support her, as a tribute to her father who'd been sick for many years. Then, just a few hours later, she got word that her father had passed away...at about the same time that I sent her an email, just fishing around for support. When she got that nudge, she knew it was meant to be. In Carol's words, "Thank you for the opportunity to honor my father." Such a beautful ending and exciting beginning. May the power that brought us all together continue to move in Aishwarya's life and bless the bright future ahead of her. Thank you all for donating, sharing and being a part of this story!
Happy Giving Tuesday!