A Toast to Our Son, the Doctor

Toast to Our Son: Dr. Aleron Kong (May 15, 2010)

Son, you may recall that five years ago, we went to the Sushi Rock Restaurant for dinner and as we walked in I shouted: “Ladies and Gentlemen, our son just received notice that he has been accepted to medical school. Even though you almost died of embarrassment, you gracefully received the applause and congratulations of the other diners. Through toils and sacrifice, you walked across the stage today. Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise to your feet and welcome our new graduate: Dr. Aleron Kong.

Graduation is a major milestone in anyone’s life. Graduation from medical school is particularly special. As you can judge from their thunderous applause, you are the focus of all the proud family and friends who have assembled and all the well wishers who could not make it to the celebration. Your sisters, Jill and Melanie, your brother Fredie and your extended family want to “Big you up” and show you much love for a job well done. If you were sitting with me in the audience when you walked across the stage, you would have seen several buttons pop off as I stuck out my chest. I am a proud father and your mother’s eyes are red from crying tears of joy for the achievements of our washbelly son.

With all our struggles, we are extremely proud of not only for your graduation from medical school today but all your accomplishments. At PACE academy, you not only excelled academically but you were an incredibly competitive athlete. I remember the day we watched you at a wrestling match when you picked up your opponent and was about to slam him to the mat when you mother screamed: “Don’t hurt him!!!” Similarly, when you kept that boy’s head under water in Water Polo for what seemed like an eternity and again your mother screamed: “Don’t hurt him.” It seems to me that your opponents owe your mother a debt of gratitude.

You also handled your finances well. When we lived in Miami, you were only twelve years old when I hired you to clean my office after school for $10.00 per day. You saved every bit of it and invested in Pfizer before the announcement about Viagra. With the 500% increase on your investments, you bought your first car with your own funds.

You were also the youngest to have a driver’s license at PACE as I took you to Florida to get your license at 15 years old when your friends in Georgia had to wait until 16.

It is such an exciting time for all of us. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were heading off to kindergarten and now you are a doctor with a license to... heal. Thank you for the joy and pride we feel in this moment.

We hope that you enjoyed living at home and all these years in school and hope you are as excited about your future as we are. Next month, when you start your residency at Grady Memorial Hospital, we hope you will do the best that you can do and remember some of the important values we tried to teach you about the need for passion, honesty, integrity, respecting others and taking care of yourself.

While we will always be here for you, the sign on my desk reads: “Shun mediocrity: Let your light so shine before men that they may see you good works, and glorify your father in heaven. You attitude determines your altitude.”

You should now put your future in good hands - your own.

Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and toast the graduate!