Nationwide — Shamone Gore Panter, a 43-year-old Black mother of four kids from Cleveland, Ohio, has started medical school, proving that it’s never too late to reach one’s goals.
It was when her pregnant niece consulted her about the COVID-19 vaccine that Shamone realized once again that she wanted to help people with the same concerns and guide those who are misinformed. Those thoughts rekindled her dream of going to medical school.
“I thought, ‘This is what I need to be doing every day. I want to go to medical school,'” Shamone told TODAY.com. “I didn’t know where I wanted to go. I just knew I wanted to do it.”
Shamone immediately went on to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test, which actually made her anxious in the past. To her surprise, she aced the test and got accepted to an intense 3-year program at Ohio State University. She is set to graduate in 2025.
Shamone decided to specialize in family practice as she hopes to build more trust between the Black community and the medical profession.
“That could be me,” she said. “I might not be able to solve all the problems, (but) sometimes seeing someone who looks like you gives you at least a foot in the door to maybe try to talk to people and give them information to potentially take better care of their health.”
However, navigating through her new career path has been extra challenging as she had to juggle her studies and parenting. Still, she finds time to prepare food for her husband and 4 children, who are ages 7 to 20, and eat and bond with them, especially on weekends. She said her husband and her whole family have always been supportive and it makes things easier for her.
While it’s true that it wasn’t all simple to go back to medical school in her 40s, she believes it is rewarding to pursue her dreams.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you’re still alive, you can go try and do it,” Shamone said. “That could be a major regret if you don’t even try.”