GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — 23-year-old Mackenzie Paul is a student at Michigan State University’s College of Medicine at the campus in Grand Rapids. She always dreamed of becoming a doctor.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever done, but also loving what you’re learning and knowing at the end of the day, like, you’re working towards something that’s really going to help people, like, I love that,” said Paul.
However, that dream was put on pause the first day of her second year in medical school. In July, she passed out during rounds at Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital.
“I just got really dizzy. And then I had to sit down,” said Paul. “And then I woke up to nurses around me because I passed out in a patient’s room. It was really embarrassing, but also really scary.”
At first, Paul thought she passed out because of a lack of sleep and food. However, the dizziness continued days later. She then called her doctor and had some lab work done.
“I started like pacing around my room, and crying, and I was kind of like pleading to God, like, ‘Please don’t let this be cancer,’” said Paul.
A bone marrow biopsy confirmed that it was indeed cancer, specifically acute myeloid leukemia. Thankfully, they caught it early.
Paul then found herself on the other side of her studies, going from hospital rounds to around the clock care. She did chemotherapy for several days, and spent a total of five weeks in the hospital.
“It’s been an adjustment from going 100 miles per an hour, per an hour, and going to, you know, just taking care of myself, like, that’s my only responsibility right now,” said Paul.
Paul has stayed encouraged through it all, and has shared her journey on TikTok. A video of her husband helping her shave her head went viral, and even got the attention of People magazine.
“I didn’t have control over that, but being able to take control of when it was gonna happen, and how it made me feel and like, who I got to do, it was like, that was something I was able to do with my husband, it was really special to me and him,” said Paul.
Her diagnosis didn’t change her desire to become a doctor. Instead, it strengthened it. Paul plans to continue her studies after she receives a bone marrow transplant, which she hopes will be soon.
“Being on the side of being in the hospital and being a patient, and the care I’ve received has been amazing,” said Paul. “And I just think it’s gonna make me such a, you know, compassionate and empathetic doctor someday.”
You can follow Paul’s journey on TikTok. A GoFundMe page for her can be found here.
