March 15, 2021

My Why: Maria Loerzel, MD

I think I’ve always wanted to leave the earth a better place than where it was before I interacted with it. And I’ve always been driven to have a higher sense of purpose. I’m one of those all-in kind of people. So, I really truly want to be sure that I’ve left some kind of legacy when I’m gone, that I have made a positive impact and made a difference in this world — because we truly have one life on earth and we have to make it count.

In today’s world of social media and always doing your highlight reel, we forget that we all have struggles and we’ve all been there.

In today’s world of social media and always doing your highlight reel, we forget that we all have struggles and we’ve all been there. For me, I chose to not let my depression win. It’s part of my story and it is truly the reason I went into medicine because I truly felt like in that moment that I didn’t know my purpose and I didn’t know even why I was supposed to continue to exist on this earth. But I was darn determined to figure out what it was.

Grounded in Purpose

I’m blessed that our clinic has always had “the patient comes first” as our culture. So, it’s really easy to re-ground into that purpose of just taking care of your patient. I do think medicine is stressful and it’s really easy also to become overwhelmed. Having a healthy outlet is really important for me. And so, I ended up falling in love with running, which no one would have guessed if they knew me five years ago. I lost a dare to my husband in 2016 and that has just been a godsend for me. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, to be able to put some miles on the road or on the trail is the perfect way to re-center. A friend of mine and I talk about how it’s almost a form of church when we’re out there. I’m a solo runner. Running is my time to re-center and reconnect to earth, to spirit, to mind and body.

Family Medicine
Carris Health — Rice Memorial Hospital