"My Inspiration to Help Others Came from my Family"

“You must treat others with respect, especially your family.” “It is important to always help others.” “Don’t ever let anyone outwork you.” During my youth, it was this multitude of advice that my parents and grandparents ingrained in me with the potency of consistency and resolve. My name is Robert Bonacci. I am a junior at The Ohio State University, and this is mi experiencia.

My four siblings and I were born and raised in the United States, but I keep close to the rich immigrant tradition from which my family descends. At 16 years of age, my mother uprooted from her birthplace, Mexico City, and with her family left behind all they knew and moved to the United States in search of reliable work and decent wages. On my father’s side, his parents moved as hopeful newlyweds from post World War II Italy, in search of a land that could offer better opportunities to their family.

Some of my first memories as a child are of the many stories my Grandpa Enrique would tell me. If there is anyone I could rely upon for endless stories, it is my Grandpa, and he still tells the same ones today. Because our family history is so important to him, he would often recount to me different parts of his own family’s journey from Mexico to the United States. He would tell me of their moves from Mexico to California and to Ohio, where they eventually settled in search of stability. In Twinsburg, Ohio, they lived in a one-bedroom apartment far too small for the family it housed. To further problems, they often had little money, leaving him to work long, hard hours just to provide food and shelter, but none of the modern comforts that I know. However, when he looks back on these stories, he always finishes them for me with the same inspiring message: reliving those endless days and tireless nights of work enables him to see the wonderful opportunities that his grandchildren now have in front of them. “With hard work and respect for others,” he says, “we can accomplish far more than we could ever imagine for us.” These words alone are powerful enough to encourage me to overcome any obstacle in the way of my dreams.

As I grew into adolescence, the example my parents set for us had a profound effect on my development. Around the start of my teenage years, my mom decided to take up work after raising us at home. Utilizing her innate skills, she worked interpreting in the Akron health system. Being able to observe aspects of her job, I experienced the dearth of poverty and the tireless struggle of the Latin@ community of Northeast Ohio. At times, she would invite them to our house for a meal, whether a casual day or Thanksgiving, because they had little money to afford the food they needed or little family in the United States with whom to share the holidays. I remember many occasions where we would bring clothing or other things to patients’ houses because they needed help with basic amenities, even providing financial help at times. This often made my dad hesitant to extend so much help because my parents have found themselves buried under debt before and barely able to keep above water. Yet in the end, he would always be there along side to lend a gracious hand. In concert, they would stress the importance of helping others. “We might not have all the money the world can offer,” they would tell me, “but we have a family full of love and laughter making us rich at heart.” The selflessness, service, and humility of my family were powerful influences in my early path of discovery.

Throughout high school, I tried to keep these virtues and memories in mind. I used them as lessons and inspiration to achieve and push on. With long hours, lots of studying, and maybe some luck, my senior year came around and so did my opportunity to attend Ohio State. After applying to the university and the Morrill Scholarship Program, I anxiously awaited to hear back during wintertime. One early spring day, I received the call from Mrs. Toni Ramirez, offering me a scholarship to Ohio State. I hung up the phone and let out a big shout, because everything I never thought could happen, had happened. I told my family that night of the good news, and I prepared to open the Ohio State chapter of my life.

Poised to take those early lessons learned and apply them to college, I have found many ways to seize new experiences and earn my education, particularly through experiences abroad. During the winter break of my second year, I received the chance to participate in an extended service project, volunteering in a health clinic in Alajuelita, Costa Rica, for a week. One moment stays with me: A young boy, no older than eight, entered the clinic. After hopping on the examination table, he pulled up his pant leg to show the doctor the problem. Surprisingly, he pulled off a prosthetic leg and exposed fleshy scar tissue just above what would be his kneecap. His mother explained that a bus hit him at age of three, causing him to lose his leg, and I watched in horror that a young child suffered such an injury. To further the problem, the scar tissue above his skin was infected because of irritation from the poor quality of the mal-fitting prosthetic leg. As the child sat smiling without a care in the world, I could not resist the sadness I felt because of the lack of proper healthcare, yet I was truly inspired by his enduring happiness in the face of such a debilitating accident. His smile was just one of many that I fondly recall from children in Alajuelita. Through serving the children of this community, so bright and full of humanity and happiness, I found my vital commitment to dedicate my future efforts toward global health policy and social medicine in Latin America. I would seize upon the lessons of my family, finding the inspiration to dedicate my life to the betterment of others through improving the health of a region.

In furtherance of these goals, I chose to spend this past summer and fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While there I attended a university to study Latin American culture, history, and the Spanish language. This opportunity abroad has been integral to what I want to do with my life and to connecting with my family history. Through it, I have gained crucial language skills that will help me bridge the communication gap. For so long, I knew very little about the rich history of Latin America, but living in Argentina and working in Costa Rica have given me a cross-cultural understanding of the culture and history of Latin American people. I was able to connect with the land of my mother and grandfather in a very special, personal way. With my enhanced language skills, a more intimate picture of the region, and the inspiration of a family, I feel I will be uniquely equipped to work towards the control and eradication of infectious disease, and to provide better rapport in my doctor-patient relationships hopefully to come.

Looking back on my 20 years, through stories recounted to me from family members and experiences of my own, I have come to realize that both sides of my family came to America for the same reason, to chase the American Dream—that of a better life for those that would come after them. From the humble town of San Mango D’Aquino, Italy to the sprawling capital of Mexico, I carry my Mexican and Italian roots with great pride and consciousness of the legacy of betterment that is left to me. And when I stop to think about that history, that struggle, and that legacy, I know I have found all the inspiration needed to spend my life helping others, a life spent dedicating my effort to improving the human condition through compassion and medicine. What we choose is not so paramount to our life’s journey, so long as we realize the importance of committing to the end result — a better world, one moment and one life at a time. 