All the odds were against them. Rameck and Sam both spent some time in jail as teenagers. Their school, although good, was not up to the standards of most white high schools. They had to take some remedial classes the summer after they graduated high school before they could start college classes in the fall. Not all the school finance programs came through. They had to leave their neighborhood and live near campus. They had to buy books. And they had to study no matter how easy or difficult a class. There were the normal life crises that happen within their families and to themselves. They were subject to racial profiling. Yet the three lived together when they could (dental school and medical school were on different campuses) and constantly helped and challenged each other. In May, 1999, they all graduated from the same university with their respective medical degrees.
These three doctors took it further. Their residencies were all there in the same area close to where they had grown up. They have stayed there. Sam, as an emergency room doctor, often sees friends and family members come in. He sees many people from the neighborhood come in with the same troubles he was able to shake off. Rameck and George are also there, treating people who don't have enough, making a difference. When they graduated, they gained some fame and notoriety for their accomplishment. With the gifts they received and the encouragement they now spread to others in their life situation, they have started a foundation to help other young adults with the support they needed and gave each other.
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