Silly Super Sam is a doctor?!?!

This weekend was Sam's big day! The day he's been waiting for as long as he can remember. He has been in school for 25 years and he is finally finished. Friday he graduated as a doctor of veterinarian medicine. It was a very emotional day for me. He has sacrificed so much to get himself to this point and I am so very proud of him. The ceremony was so beautiful! They told the history of the school and what it stands for. "The discipline of learning. The art of caring." The speakers were all very moving and I was amazed that I didn't burst into tears. They talked about the humane treatment of animals and the affect animal life has on the world. Sometimes I would think to myself that Sam was too humane! :) The way he lets our bird fly around the house so she can get exercise or the time he told me he prayed for the health of his fish. I used to think it was silly but when I see Sam study or interact with animals I know I have never met anyone with such compassion.

We talk a lot about the differences between animal and human medicine. He once joked that he would love to have a patient that could tell him where it hurts. I can't imagine having to know how to fix even one species of animal let alone the number that he has learned about. The alumni speaker talked about a few of the things that happened her first day including two patients that were hit by cars and a three pound Chihuahua needing a c-section. The school is set up so that the students spend their last two years working in different labs, clinics, and hospitals working side by side with doctors. Sam had a few experiences where he knew something that some of the young doctors he worked with didn't. They are prepared but I am sure it is still very scary.

Anyway, the time arrived and I heard them say his name, "Doctor Samuel Rivera." I was trying to hold back tears, cheer, and take pictures. I watched him kneel so his parents could put his hood on. He was smiling so big and I just wanted to hug him! Here he is, a doctor! The boy who dances around my house when the Lakers win. The guy who makes up songs and watches The Simpsons everyday. Silly Super Sam is a doctor!