Some of my well-know quotes!

These are some of my sayings that have encouraged me all along:

1. "If society will not admit of woman's free development, then society must be remodeled."
2. "The idea of winning a doctor's degree gradually assumed the aspect of a great moral struggle, and the moral fight possessed immense attraction for me" 
3. "A blank wall of social and professional antagonism faces the woman physician that forms a situation of singular and painful loneliness, leaving her without support, respect or professional counsel. " 
4. "It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world. "                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/elizabeth_blackwell.html

Success is determined by how you feel in your heart.

       An incident occurred today that has caused me great sorrow and pain, but I feel no regret of my actions to help the young children. After receiving my medical degree from Geneva Medical College, I challenged myself to further my studies and gain hands on experience by entering La Maternité Hospital. I have worked and helped various and numerous patients. Taking my job seriously and having a great liking for my studies, I went to work every day, a happy young lady, always seen with a smile on my face. Going to La Maternité Hospital was just like every other until today. As I was examining one of my favorite patients in the hospital, I believe she may have passed some sort of an eye infection. I am not positive if she is the one who has given me this hindrance, but I am sure it is one of my child patients. The doctor thinks that the infection that has affected me may be purulent conjunctivitis. No one is sure about the outcome of this disease, whether I will slowly recover from it over time, or it will worsen and have an effect on me forever. With a tired and heavy heart, my doctor believes that in a couple of weeks one of my eyes will be blinded. I feel no pain as of now, but I am extremely worried for my future. If this partial blindness is to come upon me, I may not be able to keep my ambition of becoming a surgeon. My only goal now is to cherish my time as I still have my perfect vision, and help as many patients as I can before the effect will hit me, if it really does come. I have no regrets of what I have done, and fellow friends, please do not pity me, because my whole heart has been devoted to becoming the first female physician this whole time, and I have already succeeded in my heart.

My significant statue!

A statue (monument) has been created on the campus "Genevea Medical College", which is now Hobart and William Smith College.

The tablet in front of the monument says:
"ELIZABETH BLACKWELL, M.D. / 1821-1910 / Admitted to the Medical School of Geneva (now Hobart) / College in 1847 and graduated, first in her class, two / years later, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female / physician in the United States. Her life was devoted / to women's and children's health care, reproductive / education, and to opening the medical profession to women".

http://himetop.wikidot.com/elizabeth-blackwell-s-monument

Enjoy and learn about this great moment in my life!

Curious about my graduation? Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAcTo2w7SXE&feature=related

I did it !

       Let this day be another of more praise and surprise! I am proud to announce to you all that I have officially earned my medical degree from Geneva Medical College. Yes! I am the first American woman to ever do this in history! Oh, how delighted my family will be to hear of this news! Today, January 23, 1849 will be a day that is to be forever cherished and remembered deep in my bosom. I dare not say this journey was though. Do you remember of my last post were I continuously wondered if my acceptance was a joke or a genuine acceptance? It is still terrible to recall those first days of school, but my acceptance had been largely a topic that the other men at the college wanted to laugh about. At one point, some students even told me that all my effort was a joke an asked me to leave! I would not hear of it though! You may think that from then I quit due to the horrible treatment I received from my fellow classmates, but no, their cruelty actually drove and pushed me even farther into my studies. From that point on, my soul and mind was set to hard work for when I succeeded, I could prove to those horrid creatures what my capabilities were! I would also not want to miss pointing out how I actually graduated with honors. Since during my studies, I did excel as one of the top students of my class, over time I was able to win over the respect of my professors and classmates. Concluding my entry, I would like to tell all my women readers to never give up your dreams or wishes, because although we are not the same sex as men, if you prove to them that you are able to study just as hard as them, you WILL succeed!

-Here's my esteemed diploma!

 http://www.feministsforlife.org/email%20images/blackwelldiploma.jpg

Too Good To Be True!

What a glorious day this is! It seems nothing can dampen my effervescent joy and attitude! Great news has been received today at the Blackwell household! The mail has just arrived, and strangely there was one addressed to my name, Miss Elizabeth Blackwell. What is more surprising is the mail was sent from Geneva Medical College in New York , which has always been my dream school! What this could possibly be regarding you may wonder, but I was wondering just the exact same. My family gathered around, as I questioningly ripped it open. Right when I took out the letter, my eyes immediately started scanning the whole note while my family anxiously waited to hear of what the letter enclosed. The news was just incredible and unbelievable, I must say. My jaw dropped open as my whole rigid body accepted the fact that I have been accepted as a student to the prestigious college! Yes! I know! Shocking, you dare say, right? Earlier I had actually applied to countless medical schools, but 29 of them had rejected me before I was finally accepted to Geneva Medical College . Honestly, I do not even know how they accepted me. Numerous questions are actually running through my mind at the moment and not my family or I even have one answer to these wild questions. I feel as if someone is trying to pull a prank on me yet, I feel as if I should deserve the honor to be accepted in this esteemed college for I have struggled and worked just as hard as any other man has. If I learn soon that my acceptance has been all okay, the fury I will feel would be indescribable. Also, I know with all my heart and soul that I am capable and intelligent enough to be able to comprehend and succeed as a medical doctor. I know my abilities and maybe I can even be the first to earn a medical degree. Do not under estimate me, and let me prove to you the woman that I as well as others can be! Here it even is for those of you whom do not believe me: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/blackwell/No30.jpg

In Loving Memory of My Father

Here's a picture celebrating happier times.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/wiki/images/33.632.jpg

Oh, Father, How You Will Be Missed!

          Oh dear! It has been a while since I have posted another journal entry, but oh my have I had just a wretched day. Just only a couple of weeks ago, my family moved once again but this time to Cincinnati, Ohio. The move was imperative because back in New York, my father’s sugar business was terribly burnt down by a devastating fire. Oh, how the fire engulfed his whole building not even leaving behind a single memory of his thriving business. The fire had left my family in such a poor state of bankruptcy; it was just not possible to stay in our beloved New York. We then first moved to America believing there would be a chance to start over, but my father was not able to deal with the cruel treatment of black slaves. He could not bear knowing that the sugar he was making huge profits from was actually coming from the hard work of his poor slaves. Once again, my family relocated to where we are today, Cincinnati, Ohio. Today, it has been roughly two weeks, and I am experiencing the worst pain one could imagine. Samuel Blackwell, my beloved father, passed away this morning. I cannot even describe the sorrow I feel. It feels as if someone has just broken into my heart and just stole a piece of it away without warning. After the doctors came to examine his body, they have come to the conclusion that his death occurred due to biliary fever. Even though I did not say this much when he was alive, I hope he knows that I love him very much and have appreciated spending every moment of my life as his daughter. His lessons will always be in my heart, and now I strive even more to bring equality to young men and women. To my father: You have been a great influence in my life, and you will continuously stay in my thoughts. I love you and I promise that I will take care of our family.

Recent photograph taken !

This is what I may look like now though, if you ever come for a check-up or examination ! Just so you don't get confused if you're seeing the right doctor .

http://myhero.com/images/freedom/blackwell/blackwell.jpg

Yes, This Is My Life

            Hello my fellow readers and followers ! I would first like to start off by formally introducing myself to you all. My name is Elizabeth Blackwell, and yes, THE Elizabeth Blackwell. Some may know me as Bess, or as my father’s favorite name to call me, “Little Shy” since I was a timid and meek girl in my childhood. I was born on February 3, 1821 to two unique and loving parents, Samuel and Hannah Blackwell. My native town is Bristol, England and I was born the fourth child of my large family. My parents were fortunate enough to have a large family consisting on nine children, giving me two brothers and six sisters. Unfortunately, as I grew up I experienced the many losses of my siblings and even relatives. All of my sibling, including the two brothers and six sisters I had, along with eight of my cousins passed away at a young age as I was still coming of age. After I saw the reality of life and how much the death of a family member, or in my case, almost all of my family members, I made a solemn to my deceased siblings, my parents, and myself that I would one day grow up to become a doctor to babies and woman. You may wonder why I didn’t include men. Well, that is because, men already have all the rights and privileges they can dream of, but as for women it is a different story. It is hard for us women to have the same equal rights that men are given. Therefore I would like to become a doctor specifically for women. That brings me to yet another important factor that contributed to the many aspects of my childhood that helped develop me into the woman I am today. As for my education as a child, my parents are the ones to thank for that. They tried to instill a sense of equality into our family and household life. My father refused to accept the rule of the established church which led to some disadvantages, such as my siblings and I being denied acceptance into public schools. Being rejected from such schools, private tutors were hired by my father to instruct us. My siblings and I were not taught what other regular students learned though. Instead, my brothers, my sister, and I were all taught the same subjects. My private instructors went against English tradition so my sisters and I were given equal learning opportunities, which were the exact same as my brothers. It may seem as if I grew up through an easy life, but my family has been through our own burdens as well. When I was eleven, my father’s thriving sugar business was burnt down in a fire, causing our family to go into complete poverty. He soon died after the destruction, leaving our family without an income. That left me searching for a job, to help earn wages for my family’s income. After receiving some more encouragement of becoming a doctor from close family and friends, I seeked opportunites of going to a college to further my studies. My life has now grown tremendously from all the experiences of my childhood. I am now proud to say I am the first woman doctor in the United States of America, and have paved the way for other young women to accomplish their dreams of helping people.

Oh ! Here's a decent self-portrait !

http://www.elizabeth-blackwell.com/images/artist/11507.jpg