Dr. Gulshan Harjee at Mosaic Health Center. / Courtesy Photo

“Life is not a bed of roses, Gulshan. My grandma often uttered these words when recalling events from her childhood. Once, she told me about a widow buried alive in her village in Kutch.” 

Both my grandmothers faced hardship: widowed young, with little to no formal education. One grew tobacco, cured it, and rolled cigars, selling them on the streets of Dar es Salaam. The other started a soft drink bottling company. I was born to Ismaili Muslims, and I spent most of my early life fleeing persecution, hostility, and violence. With little access to education, healthcare my parents worked very hard to provide means for my siblings and me. We received vaccines brought to us in thermos flasks by workers who cycled in scorching heat. 

Despite all odds, my parents believed in education and made all the necessary sacrifices to get us schooled. During the nationalistic and socialistic movements by Ugandan military leader Idi Amin and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, I was sent to Pakistan to finish high school, but I encountered a war between India and Pakistan, which forced me to flee to Iran.

ALSO READ: Every Child Deserves More Than an Impossible Choice

Watching the news today brings tears. I see bombs dropping on the streets of Shiraz, where I once walked the Bazaar-e Vakil. We were welcomed into the homes of our roommates there. By the grace of the Almighty, I survived a head-on collision in a bus with an oil tanker. My friend and I were among a dozen survivors. This terrible event often brings crushing memories. 

I escaped the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and arrived as an asylum seeker, following my future husband, who was finishing law school. By some freak of luck, or perhaps the karma of my elders, I entered medical school. In such a competitive field, with no formal education in the USA, I graduated from medical school and residency at Emory University.

My long-awaited marriage, two children, and a great career offered me several opportunities to serve the Atlanta community—on civic boards, editing a health column, serving on the board of a major hospital, and hosting a healthcare podcast. But all of this took a huge pause when my husband was gunned down and killed in a senseless event in Atlanta.   

Five years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which further compromised my health. Nonetheless, I saw how far healthcare had come. I realized I owed this nation a huge debt. It welcomed an asylum seeker, provided an opportunity for education, blessed me with honor and respect, and brought me back from death multiple times. This was a message to pay it forward and honor the United States of America. 

And, with that conviction, I co-founded Clarkston Community Health Center in the Ellis Island of the South where almost sixty languages are spoken. What began as a small, Sunday-only volunteer clinic has grown into a fully operational healthcare center open six days a week – and a beautiful new name: Mosaic Health Center. It operates with a dedicated team of 10 full-time staff members and six part-time professionals, including a paid physician and nurse practitioner. Notably, 80% of our team are New Americans, reflecting the diverse community we serve.

As the only charitable clinic in the district fully dedicated to serving the uninsured, Mosaic Health Center currently cares for 2,500 patients with an annual operating budget of $2 million. Our work has been recognized with numerous honors and awards. Among them are the AARP National Humanitarian Award and the L’Oréal National Humanitarian Award, as well as Impact Awards from Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University.

I do want to mention that my life has been anything but a bed of roses, even though my name ‘Gulshan’ suggests otherwise. But I am extremely grateful to my family (especially my mother and sister) and the almighty for what I have been able to achieve.

The author is an Emory University–trained physician, recognized among Atlanta’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders, a sought-after speaker, and co-founder of a multi-award-winning charity clinic.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad.)

Discover more stories on New India Abroad.