Seth was deaf and was adopted as a new born by parents who accepted the responsibility of raising Seth with his handicap. Seth had a damaged auditory nerve from measles, a vaccine he never had. With a damaged auditory nerve, he was not a candidate for cochlear implants or any other aid for hearing. Seth viewed his education as the “great equalizer.” He made sure his grades superseded any of the hearing students. He was accepted, with his deaf girlfriend, to the elite program for the deaf at the University of Michigan and Brown University School of Medicine. Seth was advised to pick a residency and career that did not involve significant hearing: dermatology, pathology, or radiology. He opposed this advice.