“Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11 : 1

The incredible story of Cynthia and Jasmine Kudji shows us that it’s never too late to make dreams come true and that life holds some funny surprises. With faith, anything is possible.

Cynthia Kudji, 49 years old, is from Ghana. She has been living in the United States with her family since she was 2 years old. At the age of 23, she gave birth to Jasmine while she was a student at Tulane University. Due to the difficulties of life, she had to put her dreams of becoming a doctor aside to take care of her daughter. To provide for her child, she became a nurse practitioner. As time passed, her daughter Jasmine went to LSU School of Medicine in Louisiana to become a doctor. She discovered her passion through her mother.

During a trip to her family’s home in Ghana, Cynthia was confronted with an incident that opened her eyes to her future and inspired her to fight to become a doctor..

« During a family trip to Ghana, an incident struck me. A child with a high fever asked for our help. We put the child in the water, trying to bring the temperature down. This situation had awakened in me the need to be a doctor,” she explained.

As soon as she returned to the United States, she enrolled at UMHS Medical School on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis to finish what she had started. Throughout this period they were geographically distant.

«I think initially it was difficult because my mom and I have always been really close so I had to get used to the distance, we had to learn how to FaceTime and Skype each other, so we were Skyping each other every day and whenever I had struggles and she had struggles, we just had to learn to communicate from a distance,” Dr. Jasmine Kudji said. “But I think over time we figured it out.»

March 20th 2020, a dream come true.

March 20, 2020, on “match day”, it is the apotheosis. Mother and daughter had the incredible news that they graduated from medical school at the same time. And that they are both going to become doctors. Mother Cynthia, 49, and daughter Jasmine, 26, have also learned that they will both be residing at the same LSU health hospital in New Orleans as of July 1, 2020 to take up their positions and complete their medical internship.

The great story is that Cynthia received her M.D. from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences of St. Kitts and Maine, and her daughter Jasmine is a graduate of LSU School of Medicine in Louisiana.

These women are the first mother and daughter to become a doctor at the same time and to attend medical school at the same time.

A loving and supportive family.

Very complicit, people keep confusing them, because Cynthia and Jasmine are very similar. These two women have inspired each other to achieve the incredible.. 

« My mother is the most inspiring person in my life, and she is one of the only reasons I was able to make it to where I am today,» explained Jasmine Kudji.

« My mom has encouraged me to be everything that I’ve ever wanted to become, and I am forever indebted to her for not only molding me into the woman I am today but also for being a shining example of perseverance and strength. She is truly a virtuous woman in every sense, »has been praised by Jasmine Kudji.

Thanks to faith, work and perseverance, they have accomplished a miracle. Becoming the first mother and daughter to become doctors on the same day.

 Cynthia thanks her daughter for her encouragement, help and support throughout her studies. Because you know, it’s not easy to go back to school when you’re a certain age. 

« I am so very, very blessed and grateful to have her as my daughter. She is smart and beautiful. When I was studying I had such a hard time in my first year and she has been a great help to me. »

Because if you haven’t been to school for a while, it takes some time to get used to the considerable amount of work to be done.

But they supported each other morally and helped each other despite the ups and downs. 

«I always tell people we laugh together, we study together, we cry together,” Dr. Jasmine Kudji said. “I think medical school is one of those experiences that you don’t truly understand until you’re in it. Sometimes people struggle to find someone who relates to their struggles, so for that person to be my mom was extremely helpful.”

With their diplomas in hand, mother and daughter will now specialise. Jasmine has chosen to go into general surgery at LSU Health New Orleans. And her mother, Cynthia has chosen family medicine over LSU Health Lafayette.

This mother and daughter duo is very inspiring. They show that you have to believe in your dreams and that everything is done in its own time. But it also shows that you have to encourage each other and help each other to achieve your full potential. Faith, perseverance, humility and love are the weapons of success.