Our Parvane is now a full-fledged MD!

By Herman M. Lagon

When I saw her name on the PRC list—Lagon, Parvane Mae—I stopped breathing for a moment. There it was—her name, my daughter’s name—now with “Doctor” beside it. I saw her whole journey flash before me: the curious little girl, the Ateneo de Iloilo salutatorian, the WVSU nursing cum laude, the medicine student who kept her faith even when tired. My heart could only whisper one thing—Thank You, Lord.

This milestone belongs not only to her but to everyone who helped shape her. To her teachers from Kinder to Medicine who taught her not just to think, but to care—thank you. From Ateneo’s classrooms where she learned competence, character, compassion and conscience, to WVSU’s wards where she was molded by science and service, she was guided by mentors, advisers, formators, professors, doctors, and classmates who became her family. Each of you helped form the kind of doctor our world needs today. Salute also to the DOH for the scholarship that helped her further find purpose beyond the clinic walls.

To all the newly licensed physicians, my deepest salute. You carry more than certificates—you carry light in a weary nation. May you never forget that medicine is not just science but service. It is waking before dawn, standing beside the poor who wait in crowded hospitals, listening to pain that no textbook can explain. As my daughter said, “We heal not because we are strong, but because we remember what it’s like to be weak.”

We honor the families who made every dream possible—the ones who pawned jewelry, skipped meals, prayed in chapels, and kept faith when hope was scarce. This success is yours too. Every white coat tells the story of your love and faith that never ran out.

To those who fell short this round—hold on. You’re still meant for this. The exam does not define your calling. The test measures knowledge, not heart. In God’s time, your persistence will become healing for others.

For Parvane, the 9^th medical doctor in the Lagon clan, this is both an ending and a beginning. The real work begins now—in wards, in barrios, in quiet corners where empathy is still the most powerful medicine. She once told me she wanted to serve where people’s pain is loud but their voices quiet. That is where she will truly live out the meaning of being a doctor.

Thank you, Parvane, for reminding us that healing starts where compassion lives. Even in your exhaustion, you found faith and discipline enough to serve with heart. You are a quiet miracle in motion. As our family and friends celebrate, I thank God for the unseen strength behind your every step. May you and your fellow doctors heal not only with science but with soul, for our troubled country needs hands that heal and hearts that truly care.

To all who wear the white coat with pride, a snappy salute to you! This milestone is not proof of brilliance, but of grace that endured. The real miracle is not passing the board but staying humble and kind in the process.

May you heal with empathy, lead with conscience, and serve with faith. Because the truest doctors are not those who cure the most—but those who care the deepest.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a ‘student of and for life’ who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world that is grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views herewith do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with.