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Roupen Odabashian: One of the things many people don’t know about me is that I am a war survivor

Roupen Odabashian/LinkedIn

Apr 6, 2024, 12:43

Roupen Odabashian: One of the things many people don’t know about me is that I am a war survivor

Roupen Odabashian, Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Karmanos and Podcast Host at OncoDaily, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“One of the things many people don’t know about me is that I am a war survivor. As an Armenian born in Syria, I spent the first 25 years of my life in Aleppo, Syria. I witnessed the Syrian crisis and have seen things that most people won’t see in their lifetime, like helicopters in front of my balcony or attending many friends’ funerals.

However, I am not saying this to make anyone feel bad! Actually, this was a great learning experience that shaped who I am today. Over 6 years, I studied medicine in Arabic but taught myself English through medical books. I studied under the light of a candle (yes, because we didn’t have electricity) and ate rice for 6 years.

After medical school, I was able to move to Canada and then the US. This experience made me ask myself every day, how much am I leaving on the table?

After moving to Canada, I always asked myself, If I could achieve all this on the mental level, what can I achieve on the physical level? This led me to long-distance running. In 2022, I completed 3 marathons, and 2 of them were one week apart! It’s crazy to see what the human body can do.

Over the last 7 months, I haven’t gone for a run, but last Sunday, I woke up wanting to challenge my body before my 32nd birthday, and I went for a 13K run with a good time, given I haven’t ran for a while (never satisfied).

This and many other events make me ask myself every day, how much am I leaving on the table? Many humans live their lives without realizing their potential, but what is the ultimate human potential? What can we achieve, and what can we be? I would love to hear your answer.”

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