Dr. Sarah Merrill, emphasis on the doctor, always wanted a medical degree, so when her youngest child was 2-years-old, she started medical school. She just graduated and is on her way to being a neurosurgeon!

Sarah Merrill just graduated from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. We don't talk much about the other Mayo Clinic locations, because we are home to the Mayo Mothership here in Rochester, Minnesota, but we need to take a few minutes and give a standing ovation to the doctor!

With her husband and her kids, from 8 to 20 years old, by her side, she accepted her diploma and now is heading to Indiana, where she has more education to pursue, but this time as a resident in her chosen field, neurosurgery.

On Good Morning America Dr. Merrill said "...her journey to medical school began at age 17, when she entered Dartmouth College as a pre-med major, then met her husband, got married, and had a 5-month-old daughter by the time she graduated from Dartmouth."

She was going to go right into medical school. but changed her mind to be a stay-at-home mom for a while. Turned into a long while. Again, from Good Morning America -

"We weren't necessarily going for a large family, in particular, in our planning, but that is what we did...We ended up having four daughters and five sons, and we had all nine of those kids in 12 years."

She was 34 when she decided to go back, which mean taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) again.

"I remember studying for the MCAT when my two youngest were 2 and 3 years old and my 2-year-old would climb on me like a mountain while I was trying to take practice tests." (Source)

Above she talked about her support team, and that included her mom who moved to Arizona to be by her side, and her husband, who was able to work remotely so he could move to Arizona from Pennsylvania.

One of the more interesting things she witnessed as an "older" medical student was the increase in moms in her program. From just her to three by the time she graduated.

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I'm way too young to remember the medicines that had radioactive stuff in 'em, but the disc drive? Am I really that old?