A story from A fan

I was born in 1983, so I watched TNG religiously in the late 80s and early 90s. Sir Patrick Stewart playing his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard inspired me to seek out truth, love math and science, major in biology in college, and become the physician I am today.

In college, I went through a phase where I could only fall asleep if an episode of TNG was playing on my computer. His voiceover in the intro conveyed a sense of safety and security that allowed my mind and body to rest.

I had the privilege of attending one of his sold out performances of the Bards play at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2007. My then-girlfriend and I met him backstage, introduced ourselves, and explained that we were medical students. He was kind and gracious, but even then, he seemed to be getting on in years and fatigued from the late performances. That said, I'm glad I was able to thank him in person for his role in my career.

As a neonatologist, I take care of the sickest smallest preterm babies and their families. Recently, I've been rewatching his best TNG performances, including Inner Light, Measure of a Man, Drumhead, and others. Sir Patrick Stewart has taught me and continues to teach me so much about life and death, how to live with honor and dignity, how to care for others, and how to make hard decisions. Thank you for everything.