Dawn Zuidgeest-Kraft was just 7 years old when she received a microscope as a gift while she was ill. The little girl became so fascinated by examining leaves and insects through the lens that her mother predicted she would become a doctor one day. However, it would take 65 years for that prediction to come true.<\/p>\n
Life took Dawn down a different path \u2014 she became a nurse. She raised four children, two of whom she had at the ages of 42 and 49. The demands of everyday life, caring for her family, and her nursing career postponed her ultimate goal of becoming a doctor for decades.<\/p>\n
Everything changed in 2020, when her husband, Carl, suffered a brain hemorrhage and narrowly survived. The experience prompted Dawn to reassess her life goals. As the couple discussed their unfulfilled wishes, Dawn realized that attending medical school was still her biggest dream.<\/p>\n
She made a bold decision, used her retirement savings, and enrolled at Saint James School of Medicine in Anguilla, in the Caribbean. Although she failed a biochemistry exam, Dawn refused to give up and continued her studies.<\/p>\n
Her determination and 45 years of clinical experience did not go unnoticed \u2014 Trinity Health Muskegon in Michigan accepted her into its residency program before she had even graduated.
\nDawn graduated from medical school at the age of 72, making history as the oldest graduate of Saint James School of Medicine. She turned 73 during the week she began her residency.
\n\u201cI feel alive when I\u2019m working in medicine,\u201d Dawn told The Washington Post in an interview. She hopes to continue practicing medicine for as long as her health allows.<\/p>\n