Mohammed Kadiri, junior in LAS, was 15 years old when he was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Now, he is on the pre-med track to become a pediatric oncologist. 

Kadiri underwent chemotherapy from April 2017 to July 2020. He has been in remission and declared cancer-free since June of 2017. 

“It wasn’t until I was diagnosed that I really got a better idea of what I wanted to do,” he said. “I was lucky enough to work with a lot of great doctors, nurses and practitioners. They really kind of gave me an insight into the field.”

Growing close with hospital staff, as well as other patients, helped Kadiri realize his love for making connections with others. 

“That’s when I figured that I wanted to work with children, especially children that had to experience the same things that I had to experience,” he said. 

During his time in treatment, Kadiri went to the hospital from once a week to 2-3 times a week, which allowed him to gain insights on the close-knit relationships of the communities in the hospital. 

“It almost got to a point where any time I went, it was just like I was visiting friends,” he said. 

Kadiri explained that the University has helped him to learn more about oncology through a wide variety of classes, as well as on-campus organizations, such as the pre-med fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon. 

Kadiri is also the event head on the executive board of the Arab Student Association. 

The community that Kadiri found while receiving treatment and his support system back home, which consisted of family and friends, made a major impact on his life, and it’s what inspired him to go into the medical field. 

“I just want to emphasize that it’s important for people to try and find their support systems, too, because even if they think it’s not present or even if they think that talking to someone might not help, it actually really does,” he said. 

[email protected]