- [Narrator] This Great Big Story was made possible
by Wells Fargo.
Established 1852, re-established 2018.
(jaunty music)
This is Myron.
- Hi.
- [Narrator] Myron is an athlete.
- I played a little football in college.
- [Narrator] And ...
- I was a Rhodes Scholar.
- [Narrator] And ...
- I played for the NFL.
- [Narrator] And ...
- I have a Master's degree in Medical Anthropology.
- [Narrator] And ...
- And, I'm a neurosurgeon.
- [Narrator] Sheesh.
- My first dream
was to play professional football.
There's no question.
I was very active as a young man, and I knew
that I was pretty good at it.
When I got to the fifth grade, that's when I knew
I wanted to pursue my second dream.
I read a book called Gifted Hands by Ben Carson,
who looked like me-he was black-
who came from a similar socioeconomic background as me.
We didn't have much money when we left the Bahamas
and came to America, and the more I read about it
the more I knew that once I was done playing football,
neurosurgery was gonna be the pathway
and the second chapter of my life.
I was the number one-rated high school player
in the country for football-recruited by everyone-
83 scholarship offers.
I always felt that football fed academics,
academics fed football.
- [Narrator] Myron spent his college years
playing football and shadowing doctors.
He graduated in two and a half years
and was expected to be a first or second round draft pick
in the NFL with a multi-million dollar contract,
but he also had a chance to study
at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.
- I ended up deciding to go to Oxford
and saying no to the NFL.
I spent a year and a half over there.
I came back to the United States,
went into the draft and got drafted in the sixth round
instead of the second or first,
made $70,000 instead of six million.
Played for three years, got out healthy,
felt good about my time there,
and, frankly, made enough money to pay for medical school.
I didn't have any lasting concussions,
and my hands were okay to where I was able
to do surgery in the operating room;
and so I left on my own volition.
Started medical school, and here I am now.
- [Narrator] Since head injuries are common
on the football field, Myron works to impress
the importance of avoiding concussions on young players.
But for Myron, his days of tackling are behind him.
- Football was great for that season of my life,
but now this is it.
This is the pinnacle.
This is where I belong, and I've told my parents
several times over and over again.
They ask me, "Myron, how do you feel
"what you're doin' now?
"How do you feel?"
I said, "Mommy and Daddy, I feel like this
"is where I belong."
- [Patient] So, did you say you played a sport before?
- [Myron] Yes, I played football.
(soft ambient music)