Elmer Teofilo Vega Research Paper

In 1927, Elmer Teofilo Vega was born in the town of Pojo, Bolivia, to a family who would have been considered poor even in that part of the world. He received a basic education and was the valedictorian of his high school. He then moved to the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, where he worked to pay his way through college and medical school. After marrying, alone and monolingual he boarded a boat from Chile to Miami with $2.07 to his name. Elmer worked odd jobs and soon sent a letter containing a ticket to Bolivia enabling his wife to come to the states. The family then moved to West Virginia, first living on a farm and eventually relocating to the "city" of Huntington. It was there that Elmer began the first anesthesiologist group in the state, the very same group that my father is now apart of.
In 1937, Jimmie Roger Williamson was born in the town of Hamlin, West Virginia, the heart of coal country. Jimmie was one of ten children and never attended high school because he needed to work in the mines to help support the family. At seventeen, Jimmie hitchhiked to South Point, Ohio where he got a job pumping gas at a tiny general store. He eventually started his own automotive repair shop and became so well

Both came from incredibly poor families, yet somehow they managed to conquer their less than ideal circumstances. They were faced with an arduous journey towards life 's peak, yet, against all odds, were able to make the summit. I have the utmost respect for the "mountains" they have endured and conquered to give my parents and in effect, me, the lives that we have today. I truly believe that without this appreciation for my grandfathers ' challenges, there would be no desire to achieve. The knowledge of my grandfathers ' lives and the hardships they endured instills in me the determination to make the most of any circumstance. I owe it to them to take advantage of the life they built for me, to honor their summit of life 's