MOTIVATION
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS “MD Motivator” Turns Loneliness into Global Mission of Love By: Jen Brignall-Strong
The people who have the least, give the most. That’s a reoccurring theme through any video I’ve done.
Anxious, alone, and stranded on the other side of the world, Zachery Dereniowski was at his lowest. Just months into what was supposed to be a dream move to Australia for medical school, the 27-yearold Windsor native found himself at a breaking point as COVID-19 began its rapid spread across the globe. “That was always my dream; to be a doctor and live in Australia,” he shares. Between Covid lockdowns, the stress of medical school, and the breakup of a long-term relationship, Zachery says he fell into a deep depression, bordering on suicidal. “At that time, it was my identity and my happiness and I didn’t really know who I was,” he says. “Shortly after all that, I tore my ACL so I couldn’t workout or play sports and that was like my therapy. Medical school was challenging, Covid left me uncertain as to when I could come home, and it also didn’t allow me to make real friends because I couldn’t go out. It (the depression) was building and I was getting farther into where I didn’t know how far down I’d go, or if I’d ever get up.”
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