Dr. Ismail on Risking It All to Achieve Your Dream
Dr. Ismail has been with Longworth since 2021. In this article, he talks about his life, where he came from, and how he risked living through civil war to get his dental education. He talks about the sacrifices he has made and the risks he has taken to achieve his dream of going back to graduate school to specialize in endodontics (root canal treatment).
My story begins in Iraq. Like my parents, I was born there. We had a very tight-knit family; I had two uncles and three aunts, and we used to meet every Friday. Family get-togethers were a huge event. We had to set up five tables to fit everyone for lunch at my grandfather's house.
I was very close to many of my relatives because they were our neighbours. We played with one another almost every day.
In addition to my parents' supervision, my aunts used to look after us and make sure we were doing well in school. Our family had role models (professors, leaders, doctors, and dentists), and we were expected to follow them.
I had beautiful memories with many family members around me until 2003 when the war started. We had to leave our home since it was in a dangerous area. We stayed in my uncle’s basement together with six other families. I used to see the missiles in the sky from the basement window (especially at nighttime), and I used to hear bombing sounds consistently. Regardless of that, from a child’s perspective, I enjoyed playing with all my relatives and being together all the time. However, we never understood why all of the adults were very stressed out.
When the civil war started in 2004, life started to be even more dangerous. Everyone was under the threat of being killed or kidnapped for a religious or political reason.
When someone leaves the house, we never know if he/she will come back. I was waiting for my father to come home every day with the fear that he never would. My parents taught me to be very cautious when going to school. I was supposed to watch cars and people that got close to me (attempt to kidnap me) and I was always ready to scream and run.
We left Iraq in 2006. We lived in Dubai for a year, then moved to Bahrain where I finished high school with one of the best academic averages in the country. I felt great pride when they put my picture in all of the national newspapers. At that time, I believed that my dream was going to become true until I realized that since I was not a citizen, I was not allowed to obtain a student loan for medical/dental studies. And considering the cost of these schools, it was impossible for my family to afford them.
Going against my parents' will, I went to Iraq to pursue my dental education at the University of Baghdad. I gradually got used to the new environment and started to learn the Iraqi traditions. I also met my wife there, and although it was not safe, it was doable for a person that spent his childhood in wartime.
Then in 2014, ISIS invaded Iraq and it was getting closer to Baghdad (where I used to live). I still remember that I had an oral surgery exam the next day, and I was thinking “Why should I study today if ISIS is going to kill me tomorrow?”
Luckily, that did not happen, and I managed to graduate from the school and was one of the top ten graduates. My goal was to become a specialist dentist and educator.
I immigrated to Canada in 2016. Canada is a beautiful country where it is very hard to become a dentist and even harder to become a specialist. It took me three years of extensive hard work to obtain my general dental license.
At that time, my chances to get a seat in a specialty program were very slim. Only three dentists were accepted per year. Most of the candidates had a dental degree from Canada with a Master's and/or Ph.D. and lots of volunteering.
Although it was not an easy decision, I decided to study dentistry again at the University of Toronto to get more credit to apply for a specialty program in root canal treatment (endodontics).
After graduation, I worked as a full-time general dentist. My focus was on improving the patient experience. I always asked myself: how can I make it a better experience for my patient? How can I reduce pain and discomfort? Did I explain enough? Was I clear? Did he/she understand me?
Obviously, it is not an easy thing to do, but I am very passionate about it. I am continuously learning and trying to improve myself. I am lucky to have good mentors, colleagues, and staff to support me.
And yes, I got accepted into the specialty program at the University of Toronto. It took a lot of hard work, determination, and luck. Right now, I am telling everyone that this would be my last three years of education, but who knows, I may change my mind!
