Personal Narrative: The Unicorn Complex

Overall, our society doesn't do enough to prepare for death. Though it is inevitable and may strike at any point in time, people tend to believe that it just won't happen to them. People tend to have what I like to call, "The Unicorn Complex." In it's simplest sense, The Unicorn Complex is the state of mind where an individual believes that they are special somehow. They think that they are an exception. For example, someone might eat a poor diet, but not seek to begin healthier habits because they don't think that something such as Type 2 Diabetes or a myocardial infarction will happen to them. Those things only happen to other people. Many people in our society think about early death this way. They don't realize that it may come out of nowhere

I had never really thought about it before this class. I have seen animals die, beginning with one of my cats when I was 5. My cat had cancer and had to be euthanized, and that was the day I decided that I wanted to be a vet. Flash forward to when I was 14, and I was attending a specialized high school where I was majoring in Veterinary Science. Soon I was working as a vet tech. I was living out one of my dreams (even though I was still pursuing an education to become a vet), but I was still exposed to death. In the 3 years I worked as a veterinary technician I have seen a myriad of animals either die of a disease or be euthanized. Not only did I see these animals die, I assisted in bringing their death when I assisted in euthanasia. The first time I was even in the room for a euthanasia at my job, I kept it together in front of the family, but the second I was in the back I broke down. It got easier as I assisted in more, but it still is not easy at all. I find solace in the fact that I know that the vet does everything they can to save an animal before deciding that there's nothing left that they can do. I know they have exhausted every option. No vet wants to euthanize, but sometimes it has to be done to end the animal's pain. As far as the death of humans goes, I have had many people close to me pass away. Although I didn't physically see it, I experienced the death of my father when I

Although the likelihood is that medical students will just be dissecting me, I like to think that I'm contributing to the education of the future of medicine. And as a pre-medical student, my goal in life is to contribute to the advancement of medicine in as many ways as possible, among saving lives of course. I have discussed this with my mother. In addition, I have also discussed with her the fact that I am a registered organ donor, and if I ever get in a tragic accident and can't be saved, if my organs are viable, I wish to donate as much as possible so I can use my death to save the lives of others. I didn't come into this course with any expectations, but with interest. I'm not exactly sure what I want to learn, but I know I am ready to