Nearly a decade after he spent 50 days as a patient at Detroit's St. John Hospital, Kevin Morton Jr. is back — this time as a doctor.
In 2007, Morton was a college student studying to go into the pharmaceutical business. He worked at an Arby's in Detroit, and one night after he locked up the restaurant, a would-be robber approached him as he got into his car and shot him in the stomach. Doctors at St. John Hospital gave him a 10 percent chance of making it through the night, and his family was warned that the odds were against him. Morton's doctor in the trauma unit, Dr. Dharti Sheth-Zelmanski, told NBC News she knew he wasn't going to give up, and doctors weren't, either. "Whether we call it intuition, experience, or a miracle ... we put some extra sutures in and the bleeding stopped," she said.
Morton went on to spend 50 days recovering in the hospital, and it inspired him to change the course of his life. Last week, the 31-year-old, now married with a daughter, graduated from Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is still close to Sheth-Zelmanski, and will soon begin his residency at the hospital where she helped save his life. "The compassion and drive that Dr. Sheth has shown in trying to save me life ... I just wanna pay that forward," Morton told NBC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodleUnder the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
