I didn’t always want to be a doctor. When I first started college, I was a double major in literature and biology. I thought I’d be a literature professor.

But during my second year of college, my 47-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I often took her to her appointments and treatments. Over time, I realized that I was interested in medicine, and oncology in particular. So, I decided to go to medical school. It was...