Thursday, June 12, 2025
When Azelia Lau arrived at the at The , she brought more than a passion for psychiatry. She also carried a long-held idea inspired by an undergraduate program she never got to join.
Now a third-year medical student, Lau launched Legacy Writers, a student-led initiative under the Psychiatry Interest Group at 人妻中出视频HSC. The program pairs medical students with hospice patients to preserve their life stories through memoirs.
With support from and its volunteer coordinator, Melissa Brannon, students recently completed and published three memoirs for patients in hospice care.
鈥淭heir curiosity, empathy and dedication brought a fresh and respectful perspective to capturing each unique journey,鈥� Brannon said. 鈥淚t was inspiring to witness the meaningful connections formed as students listened with intention and helped give voice to stories that might otherwise go untold.鈥�
人妻中出视频HSC's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine students and Legacy Writers, from left to right Azelia Lau, Annish Reddy and Hannah Rey
Each memoir took shape through interviews with patients and family members. The students did not follow a chronological structure; instead, they focused on themes like purpose, resilience and love. Some students met with their patients only once or twice, yet the emotional connection was powerful.
鈥淚t was surprising how deeply we could connect with someone in just two meetings,鈥� Lau said. 鈥淎fter one of our patients passed, I realized I knew so much about him but had so little time with him. The loss was real.鈥�
Second-year student Anish Reddy said the project became more than an academic experience. It became a relationship.
鈥淓ven now, my patient still calls me just to talk,鈥� Reddy said. 鈥淭oward the end of the memoir process, he told me I felt like a son to him. That moment reminded me why I chose medicine. It brought me back to my 鈥榳hy.鈥欌��
Reddy and his writing partner, Hannah Rey, took turns interviewing, recording and
shaping the patient鈥檚 stories. Their patient, a devoted husband and father, found
comfort in the process.
鈥淪torytelling was therapeutic for him,鈥� Rey said. 鈥淗e reflected on his past, processed
his emotions and left a tangible piece of himself for his family.鈥�
Destny Agubuzo, another Legacy Writer, said the experience reminded her that medical care should go beyond clinical treatment.
鈥淭his showed me how human medicine really is,鈥� Agubuzo said. 鈥淲e focus so much on symptoms, but this reminded me that healing also comes through connection and knowing someone鈥檚 heart.鈥�
She recalled the moment her patient, who had once mistaken vulnerability for weakness but grew to appreciate it as a human strength, became emotional when speaking about his family and faith.
鈥淲hile reminiscing. He fondly shed tears during our interviews,鈥� Agubuzo said. 鈥淚t taught me that strength looks like a willingness to be vulnerable.鈥�
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2024-25 Legacy Writers
Students received mentorship and training from , PhD, ABPP, a clinical health psychologist and associate professor in the . Franks said she was struck by the students鈥� passion and emotional commitment to the work.
人妻中出视频HSC's TCOP's 2024-25 Legacy Writers
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 just invest their time; they invested their emotional energy,鈥� Franks said. 鈥淭hey showed the best of what osteopathic medicine brings to 鈥榗aring鈥� 鈥� connecting deeply and genuinely with patients through a shared narrative with warmth, empathy and compassion.鈥�
Franks, who helped students develop empathetic interview strategies and guided them in handling complex end-of-life conversations, praised Lau鈥檚 leadership.
鈥淎zelia came very well-prepared. She had already reached out to a hospice partner and had a thoughtful list of questions about training students and shaping memoirs,鈥� Franks said. 鈥淪he worked so hard on this, but I could tell it was truly a labor of love.鈥�
The collaboration with Community Healthcare of Texas, Franks added, helped students experience the emotional and psychological dimensions of patient care beyond the classroom.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great example of how 人妻中出视频HSC can partner with community organizations in a way that benefits both the students and the patients,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are the kinds of meaningful, real-world experiences that can鈥檛 be taught from a book.鈥�
To print the books, students used and received partial funding from the Psychiatry Interest Group. Each family received
a free copy, and students delivered them in person.
鈥淭hese books are a tangible piece of their loved one鈥檚 heart,鈥� Rey said. 鈥淚 can imagine
the families picking them up years from now, reading stories in their loved one鈥檚
voice, and feeling close again.鈥�
As Lau prepares to begin her clinical rotations, leadership of Legacy Writers is being
passed to a new team of second-year students who plan to expand the program and involve
more peers.
Franks believes the experience will continue to shape the kind of physicians these
students become.
鈥淧rojects like these bring focus back to the humanity of both the patient and the provider,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a powerful reminder of the kind of care we want our students to deliver 鈥� humanistic, patient-centered and grounded in empathy.鈥�
鈥淚f you have an idea and you鈥檙e passionate about it, it can happen,鈥� Lau said. 鈥淭his project showed me that even with the weight of medical school, there鈥檚 room to do something meaningful and to build something that lasts.鈥�
In the quiet space between medicine and memory, the Legacy Writers are finding their purpose 鈥� not just to heal, but to listen, to write and to honor the lives that shape them.
From - Community by Nicole Luna