The 2 Lives That Saved Mine

Most of you know me as a surgeon and an athlete. What you may not know is that, out here in the desert, I was struggling. Far from home. Training limited. Purpose fading. The days blurred together, and there were mornings I didn’t want to get out of bed.

Then, two abandoned kittens showed up. I thought I was saving them. But in truth, they were saving me.

Rocket and Reaper were barely a week old. No mother. Eyes still shut. Helpless. A few of us on base started feeding them, keeping them warm, and watching every tiny sign of life. I’ll be honest… I gave them less than a 10% chance of survival. But they fought. And so did we.

Every morning, I had a reason to get up. A reason to care. A reason to show up fully. Those kittens reminded me of something I tell athletes and patients all the time:
Resilience doesn’t come from the highlight reel. It’s built in our small, consistent choices.

That applies whether you’re…

• Coming back from an injury.

• Stuck in burnout.

• Questioning why you even keep showing up.
  

Purpose doesn’t always come from a win, a successful surgery, or a big mission. Sometimes it comes from choosing to protect two small lives in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes it comes from drilling at 30% intensity with a teammate when you can’t roll hard. Sometimes it’s booking that PT appointment you’ve been avoiding.

I share this because so many of us carry heavy loads… whether it’s patients, teammates, family, or our own demons. And too often, we wait for a crisis before we look for purpose.

The truth? Purpose can be found anywhere, if you’re willing to see it.

So I’ll ask you: what’s the “kitten” in your life right now? What’s keeping you moving forward?

For me, Rocket and Reaper gave me back my purpose. And thanks to Paws of War, they’re safe, alive, and thriving. I may have saved their lives, but really… 

they changed mine.

____

Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez 

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