Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft, supplied to the Washington Post
Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network
Senior Scholar Fulfills Life-long Dream to Graduate Medical School–a Doctor at 73-Years Young
When Mr. Carl Craft nearly died from a brain hemorrhage, he and his wife Dawn reviewed their bucket list. Carl wanted to travel, and Dawn said she wanted to go to medical school.
“He thought I was crazy,” she said.
Now, though, Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft proudly holds a doctorate in medicine after graduating as the school’s oldest-ever graduate at 72.
The doctoral dream took root from the earliest periods of Zuidgeest-Craft’s life and would blossom into a career as a nurse practitioner and pediatric educator. It was a career she enjoyed even while marrying and giving birth to two children.
For their sake, Zuidgeest-Craft put her medical school ambition on hold—at least until her 40s, she thought. Then she got divorced and remarried before she and her new husband, Carl, decided to start their own family. Zuidgeest-Craft spent the decade raising two more children.
The dream of medical school gradually faded until Carl suffered his brain hemorrhage, at which point Dawn realized it had to happen now, or, as the phrase goes, never.
Digging into her retirement savings, Zuidgeest-Craft paid the tuition for St. James School of Medicine in Anguilla, the Caribbean, where the institution waives the requirement for a Medical College Admission Test.
It wasn’t a straightforward process, and the senior scholar wouldn’t have hoped or imagined failing the biochemistry exam during year 1, but with the support of her husband Carl and the classmates who all remember her fondly from their dorm living, movie nights, and yoga sessions on the beach, Zuidgeest-Craft kept going.
It took clinical rotations in Chicago and West Virginia, and a stint in South Texas, where a medical professional encouraged her—based on her aptitude—to seek a residency program, for Zuidgeest-Craft to graduate with her doctorate this month, not long before her 73rd Birthday.
“When you have to do it for work… you feel like, ‘I got to do this so that I can pay my rent,’” Zuidgeest-Craft, who has three grandchildren, told the Washington Post. “I want to do this because I really enjoy this.”
“I feel alive when I work in the medical field.”
She will begin her residency at Trinity Health Medical Center in Muskegon, Michigan, this year.
The good news in this story is that a long-held dream has finally been realized. Today’s JohnKu talks about dreams. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Dreams by John W. Howell © 2026
They are yours to have,
Which no one should take away . . .
Work till they come true.
Fiction Favorites 
Well done, Dawn! 👍
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So true. Thanks, Chris.
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That’s amazing, well done!
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I agree. Thank you, Dina. 😊
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Looks late, t’s never too late to chase that dream.
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Nope. I started writing and blogging at 71.
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Well done, John. I began blogging in my 60s, after taking a class.
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😊
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That is brilliant John and I am Dawn’s age and I need to pull my socks up… So great to hear that age is not a barrier to fulfilling our dreams.. Have a fantastic weekend.. hugsxx
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I started blogging at 71 and published my first book at 72. Still here at 85. Not sure what other socks I have to pull up. Cheers.
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You are an inspiration John… and you can get rid of the socks completely… hugsxx
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Ha ha ha. You are right. I haven’t worn socks for ten years. I still have a pair, though.
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Weddings and funerals…hugsx
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The last funeral we were all in flip-flops.
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I suspect the person at the centre of the service would not have been bothered in the slightest…. hugsx
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He was in flip-flops, too.
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lol.. xx
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😀
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So amazing. Brings a tear to my eye actually.
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It is amazing. Thanks, Charles.
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Wow!
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I agree. Thanks, Joy.
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We had a woman who graduated from UNC’s School of Medicine at 51. Age was a consideration but experience, like here, could offset it!
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Good for UNC for letting her try. Thanks, Noelle
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I was on the admissions committee!
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Good for you, Then
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That is beautifully amazing! Thank you for sharing!
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always great to find an uplifting story. Thanks, Dale.
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Absolutely!
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😊
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That’s a great accomplishment by Dawn to get a doctorate in medicine at 72 years of age. Well, Carl got some travels in, as a result. It was nice that you posted this, John.
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Thanks, Tim. 😊
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My pleasure, John. 😊
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😊
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Amazing. I’m sure she will have a great career.
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At least she will look experienced
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What an accomplishment! Proves it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
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So true. 😁
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Brava, Dawn!!!
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Yes indeed, Liz
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Wow, what a wonderful story of true perseverance against all odds and triumphing over them all… congratulationsns, Dawn. You are indeed, a very special lady👍.
🐳
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Thank you, Jim. What a lovely comment. 😊
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Most inspiring! ❤
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I agree. Thanks, Annette
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Way to go for Dawn. She’s an inspiration for anyone who thinks their dreams are in the rearview.
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Yes. Great story. Thanks, Marc.
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It sure is.
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What a remarkable, hope-filled story, John. It’s never too late… Love it! 😊
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So true, Gwen. I love it, too 😊
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Best story I’ve read today, John. I love it when people complete a long held dream.
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Me too, Pete. 😊
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What an inspirational story, John. I hope she realizes her dream during the residency.
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I do too. She deserves it. Thanks, Monika.
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I think getting a degree when you are retired is a great endevour. If you can afford it why not, even if you are not going to use it very much. I have a good degree already (PhD in Applied Physics / Electrical Engineering) but sometimes I think that maybe I should get a degree in a field I find especially fascinating but never pursued, like Astronomy or Astrophysics. It would be a lot of work though. It would be a big retirement project. Congratulations to Dawn.
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I join you in congratulating Dawn. I think you would do well in Quantum Physics. 😀
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Wow! You’re never too old to begin something new, but this really is a huge accomplishment for Dawn. Well done!
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I agree. Good for her. Thanks, Jan
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That’s pretty amazing.
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It is for sure. Thanks, Craig.
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That’s really great. Good for her. Makes me think maybe some day I can go to school to become a therapist. It’s been on my mind for years.
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Physical or mental?
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Mental.
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You should do it.
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Maybe when my boss retires and I’m out of a job. But funds would be a factor.
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A best seller would fix that.
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Far far easier said than done, but that would help somewhat.
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😊
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[…] Find out more about Dawn’s journey to becoming a doctor: John Howell Good News […]
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Thank you for the lovely feature on my good news story, Sally. Sent an e’mail
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[…] Find out more about Dawn’s journey to becoming a doctor: John Howell Good News […]
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Fabulous, wonderful and mostly inspirational.
Thank you for this post, John.
And Way To Go, Dawn!
Love the dreams JohnKu! 💭X 💭X
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It shows that almost anything is possible. Thanks, Resa.
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it’s great she achieved her medical dream but a medical internship is very hard work 😅
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I think so, too, Robbie.
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🙏
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😊
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I love this story, AND your JohnKu.
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😊
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It’s never too late! Congrats to Dawn! 😚
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Yes, congratulations to her. 😀
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How inspiring! Love this, thank you for sharing.
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It is a good story. 😊
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Yes, it is. 😊
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😀
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