Meet Sarah Ozturk
Hometown
Augusta, Georgia
College of Enrollment
The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University
Major
Doctor of Dental Medicine
Projected Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2021
Words to live by
Give from what you love. If you love something and surround yourself with those you care about, you will want those cherished things for them as well.
Hero Strengths
Thyroid cancer survivor, making people smile.
Hero Weaknesses
Kittens, succulents, a strong cappuccino, and anything covered in dark chocolate!
Passions/hobbies
Traveling abroad, language, and cooking with my family.
Biggest take-away(s) from your cancer experience
When I look back on that cold February afternoon when I received a diagnosis of cancer, I had no idea what my journey would entail. I thought that I’d have a surgery, increase my daily meds, and be on my way. While this is roughly the outline of my treatment, what I didn’t know was how much my disease would sculpt me as a human. It has taught me empathy; when I am explaining to patients of their oral pathology, I know what it is like to feel scared. What is perhaps most sensitive to me is that I felt my cancer came at such a pivotal stage in my life, while I was transitioning from my collegiate years into my professional ones. I felt like my fleeting youth was draining at a faster rate. Even though I felt more energized after treatment, I felt like I had aged, both physically and mentally. In essence, while I didn’t know it at the time, cancer gave me compassion; and despite it all, I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
