Profiles in Courage

Profiles in Courage: The Heart of a Firefighter and the Soul of a Physician

In bygone eras, men gazed upon the stars, proclaiming their heroes in the constellations. In this age of modernity, heroes are found in the hearts and souls of men and women who rise to a calling greater than themselves.

Megan Crotty, a Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) fourthyear medical student is one who has been selflessly devoted to such callings.

Growing up in the Erie suburb of Lawrence Park, Crotty witnessed everyday profiles in courage as her father and members of her extended family served as volunteer firefighters in the community. The commitment to serve was imbued within her as Crotty became a fifth-generation firefighter. City of New York, the largest municipal fire department in the country. Everything changed in April of 2008, however, when Michael was killed on the scene of a fire.

The loss of her cousin and best friend profoundly affected Crotty, drawing her to a career in medicine. She spent six years serving as a registered nurse in the emergency department of an Erie-area hospital. It was during this time that her experience working with one particular trauma patient solidified Crotty’s decision to continue her education as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

Possessed of the physical courage required to battle a fire, Crotty also displayed the courage of character required to create teamwork, build trust, and foster interpersonal relationships. Two days after receiving her LECOM acceptance, Crotty suffered serious back injuries while on a fire call. Concerned that surgery and rehabilitation would delay her ability to begin medical school, she worked assiduously to join her classmates on time when classes began in July of 2016.

True callings of noble and estimable value are possessed of familiar, but often hardwon characteristics and virtues. Crotty’s perseverance and unyielding efforts have stood out as particularly emblematic profiles in courage.

Earlier this year, Crotty was selected as a finalist in the Nexstar Media Remarkable Woman Contest, which recognizes women for their community contributions, selfachievement, and family impact. As a finalist, Crotty was featured during a televised news segment on WJET Erie, Pennsylvania. She was among 460 women across the United States who were considered for the Nexstar Woman of the Year Award. In March of 2020, each regional winner was to have received a free trip to New York City where Nexstar Media had planned to reveal the national winner. Unfortunately, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic altered those plans.

Despite the setbacks, Crotty’s message is a sound one. “I hope that my story will inspire others to find time to give back and to pay it forward when they can,” offered Crotty. “I would like everyone to know that you can change career plans, take a little bit longer to find your passion, get knocked down mentally and physically, and still be able to accomplish everything you seek in life,” the resilient scholar expounded.

As the first physician hailing from an extended family of firefighters, Crotty evokes the parallel virtues shared by both callings. As she seeks to heal, cure, care for, and comfort,