It's every parent's deepest desire to see their child pursuing their dream. To get to watch that as you pursue your own is a unique situation, but one that Dr. Cynthia Kudji Sylvester is getting to enjoy. She opened up about her story in a sit-down with People magazine.
Cynthia knew she wanted to be a physician after an experience visiting Ghana, where she'd lived until she was 2. After a local family asked for medical help from Cynthia and her family because they were Americans, she knew she wanted to help people. Cynthia was a college student at the time and became determined to pursue medicine.
During her senior year of college, Cynthia became pregnant with her daughter, Jasmine. She knew then that her medical school dreams would have to wait. What she didn't know was that by the time she got back around to them, her daughter would be joining her. The mother and daughter attended medical school at the same time. They have graduated and are heading into residencies in the same health system.
Dr. Cynthia Kudji Sylvester has known for a long time that she wants to work in medicine. The newly minted doctor discovered her desire to help others during a trip to her native Ghana when she was 19 years old. A female stranger approached Cynthia and her family during her 1989 trip to ask for help for her child.
"She was talking about her daughter who was sick and had a fever," Cynthia told People.
"She picked us just because we were American. There was such a drastic divide between us, and that really hit home. It was in that moment that I knew I wanted to be a physician."
Cynthia's medical school dreams were put on hold when she became pregnant with Jasmine during her senior year at Tulane University.
"Medical school at that time was out of the question," she said. Instead, she became a nursing assistant.
Cynthia worked hard while raising Jasmine as a single mom. She worked her way up to become a nurse practitioner over 10 years. She also saved, and with the help of family, she was ready to go back to school in 2013.
"I knew it was time," Cynthia told People. "Even though it was a long uphill journey, it shaped me. Every disappointment, every accomplishment made me want to push further and create a better life for my daughter."
At that time, Jasmine was a junior at Louisiana State University. Although she struggled with math and science, her mother truly inspired her. She knew that she wanted to follow in Cynthia's footsteps and pursue medicine.
Jasmine decided she would attend medical school at LSU as well.
"My mom always inspired me to be everything that I wanted to be," Jasmine said.
"I watched her overcome things firsthand. We've come a long way."
Cynthia attended the University of Medicine and Health Sciences on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Now the two are both working in the LSU Health System. Jasmine is at LSU Health in New Orleans pursuing general surgery, and Cynthia is in Lafayette focusing on family medicine.
The mother and daughter may be 200 miles apart, but their hearts are together in what they're doing. Both have been endlessly grateful to have shared the experience of getting through medical school together in the unique way they could. To continue that experience through residencies has been a blessing to them both.
"Jasmine has always been my rock," says Cynthia. Truly, it shows through the beautiful bond that the women share. It's a life they've cultivated through both of their hard work, and few can compare to that experience.
"We're in this together."
Cynthia's dream is to practice with Jasmine in rural communities particularly.
"There's something different about working in a rural setting," she told the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"There's a lot of appreciation from the community. Jasmine and I have talked about opening a clinic that could address disparities, especially in African American, underserved communities."
