Dan Juzych recalls his 12th birthday vividly, waking up with the excitement children feel on a day designed to celebrate them. However, for Juzych, this recollection isn't centered on the cake or presents. It's the day he was gifted his passion for global health. 

Juzych was celebrating with friends and family at an ice cream shop when a phone call interrupted the party. Two Ukrainian brothers had arrived at the hospital where his father, a physician, worked. One brother had lost his eye in 2014 during a protest in Ukraine, and complications had developed. 

Juzych was faced with the choice to either stay at his birthday party or leave early to accompany his dad to the hospital. 

He chose the latter and is grateful he did. 

"At 12 years old, I realized how incredibly lucky I was," he said. "Being 17 years old, he wasn't much older than me at the time." 

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