Taj Taher

Personal Statement

Four Fs have defined my life: family, friends, faith, and food. Yes, food, though thats
not to say I consult brother Big Mac whenever I make life decisions. As minor it might seem
next to the other Fs, my relationship to food through the years based on my culture and
environment has reinforced those with my family, friends, and faith shaping who I am, how I
see the world, and what I wish to be: a physician.
My earliest memories are of gathering with guests at the dinner table. No matter how
modest our circumstances, my parents insisted we share meals with other Bangladeshis; they
knew our countrys food and company among fellow immigrants would be comforting. I recall
the clink of passing plates, the laughter Id prompt by pompously placing myself at the tables
head, and a glow in my parents faces seeing their guests happiness. Food taught me a simple
tenet: if you have, you should give. Ive cherished helping those in need since, a quality
fundamental for physicians. All my volunteer work is rooted in my desire to spread the happiness
I first found at the dinner table.
Foods ability to foster community became significant when we moved to rural Eastern
Oregon. We were the most diversity many residents had ever seen (such a novelty, we graced the
local papers front page). Along with our ethnicity and skin color, being Muslims in a
predominantly white and Christian community with 9/11 occurring not long after we arrived had
us fearing isolation, resentment, and hostility.
However, as soon as our guests entered our home, our apprehensions faded. We served
them exotic curries, they introduced us to glorious apple pie: food served as a medium through
which we learned, respected, and adopted one anothers cultures. As before, our home brimmed
with laughter and warmth. Peering at the foreign faces around the table, I marveled at the unity
food inspired. I came to know that regardless of our origin, we all appreciate and deserve
kindness, even in the simple form of sharing meals. Im grateful to have grown up in Pendleton
where, because I was unlike most everyone, I couldnt take diversity for granted. More
importantly, the communitys openness despite my differences brought such joy to my life that I
now do the same in all my social interactions, especially in the hospital. This invariably begins
with me asking Whats your favorite food from home and where can I get some?, then
blossoms into a warm conversation garnished with smiles. My future patients hailing from
broad backgrounds will appreciate this at times theyre most vulnerable and need the most
comfort.
Comforting presence though food was in my life, for 20 years it also defined me with one
unsavory adjective: obese. It provided no solace when I was struck with jeers or condescension,
when my reflection sparked self-loathing, when insecurity robbed my sense of agency, or when I
cried for miracles. Hopeless, I never made a real effort to lose weight. Instead, I continued eating
food, my killing comfort.
That all changed on February 15, 2014.
For years, my doctors simply reiterated with numbers and graphs what society and
mirrors made abundantly clear: I was fat. It was surprising, then, when my new doctor looked me
in the eye and said Youre pre-hypertensive and at risk of diabetes. For your lifes sake, you
need to manage your weight and diet. I was shocked into silence. Barely 20, it felt like I was
dying before Id even begun to live. I left her office anguished and afraid.
But also determined.
The very next day, I began exercising regularly and eating healthy. In three months, I
burned thirty pounds; in a year, sixty, with BMI, blood pressure, lipids, and sugars superb.
People no longer recognize me, but not just due to my dramatic physical transformation. I am
happier, more disciplined, more optimistic, and more in control of my life than ever before.
Ill always remember Dr. Shikha Aruns impact on my life, especially since she also
invigorated why I want and believe I need to become a doctor. I credit her immense success with
me to her creation even in a brief consult of a human connection. Unlike previous doctors,
she didnt refer to me as a point on a graph or assume my chart was all of me. She spoke without
condescension, honest and blunt, but made it evident she truly cared for my wellbeing. Without
writing a prescription or performing surgery, merely with words and compassion, she gave me a
new life. I saw the same values in her Id seen at the dinner table. To know those tenets (if you
have, you should give, hospitality, kindness and respect) could be applied in medicine to such
incredible effect has convinced me medicine is my destiny. I wish to inspire others as Dr. Arun
inspired me, to show them it is possible to turn their lives around. Not alone, but with me guiding
them, a friendly face at the head of the dinner table.
For yes, I still love food. It will always be a vital facet of my identity due to my culture
and my love for its finesse at ushering people together to form friends and family. But I also love
life; being healthy, active, and adapting and balancing my identity makes life all the more
meaningful. Five Fs now define my life: family, friends, faith, food, and fitness.