--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I almost threw up the first time I set…" description: "\"I almost threw up the first time I set foot inside the University of California, San Francisco's Comprehensive Care Center and joined the stream of thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/kelly-corrigan-14334_almost_i-almost-threw-up-the-first-time-i-set-f_1758715.jpg" --- # I almost threw up the first time I set foot inside the… ![“I almost threw up the first time I set foot inside the University of California, San Francisco's Comprehensive Care Center and joined the stream of thin, slow-moving, low-voiced, gray-skinned people. I didn't want to be one of the pitied, the struck-down.” quote by Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/kelly-corrigan-14334_almost_i-almost-threw-up-the-first-time-i-set-f_1758715.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/kelly-corrigan-14334_almost_i-almost-threw-up-the-first-time-i-set-f_1758715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/kelly-corrigan-14334_almost_i-almost-threw-up-the-first-time-i-set-f_1758715.jpg) > “I almost threw up the first time I set foot inside the University of California, San Francisco's Comprehensive Care Center and joined the stream of thin, slow-moving, low-voiced, gray-skinned people. I didn't want to be one of the pitied, the struck-down.” [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She felt out of place among patients, fearing pity and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Feeling alienated in a medical setting. Key Takeaway Acknowledge discomfort and seek connection. Themes vulnerability empathy identity healthcare social dynamics Mood anxious reflective Type personal narrative observational When to use this quote - hospital visit - first day at work - meeting new people - seeking belonging Key Concepts patient experience social stigma self-perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope when you feel like an outsider? - What can you do to bridge the gap? A Different Perspective The environment may also be supportive, reducing alienation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center/) [Comprehensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehensive/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foot/) [Francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/francisco/) [Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside/) [Inside University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-university-1673087/) [Joined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joined/) [Moving Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-low-1673085/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pitied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitied/) [San](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san/) [Stream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream/) [Thin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thin/) [Threw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threw/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-california-522616/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Pitied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-pitied-1673086/) ## Related quotes > [ “Pity? \[If\] you don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair, stay in your house!” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/pity-if-you-don-t-want-to-be-pitied-because-you-re-a-cripple-in-a/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [UC Merced is the University of California's newest campus and lies among farm fields in the San Joaquin Valley, 2 1/2 hours east of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-holt/uc-merced-is-the-university-of-california-s-newest-campus-and-lies/) [Lester Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-holt/) > [Being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: there are many people under you, but no one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-yudof/being-president-of-the-university-of-california-is-like-being-manager/) [Mark Yudof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-yudof/) > [My record at the University of California as an undergraduate was mediocre to say the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglass-north/my-record-at-the-university-of-california-as-an-undergraduate-was/) [Douglass North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglass-north/) > [I went off to the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a boatload of loans, sights set on becoming a doctor or a lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/i-went-off-to-the-university-of-california-santa-barbara-on-a/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) > [“Miller University of California, Riverside, Professor and Chair, Media & Cultural Studies Christopher Newfield University of California, Santa Barbara, Professor, English Department, Innovation Working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-n-davidson/miller-university-of-california-riverside-professor-and-chair-media/) [Cathy N. Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-n-davidson/) > [The University of California has been selected as the poster child of animal abuse at laboratories. It's been shown that the tactics are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-vlasak/the-university-of-california-has-been-selected-as-the-poster-child-of/) [Jerry Vlasak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-vlasak/) > [My mother came from India to go to the University of California, Berkeley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/my-mother-came-from-india-to-go-to-the-university-of-california/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [“University of California, Irvine, Professor of Art and Engineering, Codirector of Arts, Computation, and Engineering (ACE) Program Kavita Philip University of California, Irvine, Associate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-n-davidson/university-of-california-irvine-professor-of-art-and-engineering/) [Cathy N. Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-n-davidson/) > [“only one law school, at the University of California in Los Angeles, turned the Olin funds away, arguing that by plying students with grant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/only-one-law-school-at-the-university-of-california-in-los-angeles/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [I did my undergraduate work at the University of California when it was still affordable. But tuition keeps on rising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-derisi/i-did-my-undergraduate-work-at-the-university-of-california-when-it/) [Joseph DeRisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-derisi/) > [The Committee supports the idea that there should be, within the University of California, a campus which puts particular emphasis on the education of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-robinson/the-committee-supports-the-idea-that-there-should-be-within-the/) [Abraham Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-robinson/) > [I went to the University of California, Santa Cruz for a year, which turned out to be a really vibrant, very intensive intellectual atmosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-went-to-the-university-of-california-santa-cruz-for-a-year-which/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [We're looking forward to a great season at the University of California - if we find a way to put cleats on their sandals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-re-looking-forward-to-a-great-season-at-the-university-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Actually, the University of California says they may start a marijuana research center. Really? I thought the University of California was a marijuana research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/actually-the-university-of-california-says-they-may-start-a-marijuana/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) ## More by Kelly Corrigan > [“I shift my position on the sofa, so my head is on a big, lumpy pillow in Greenie's lap and Georgia is leanign back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/i-shift-my-position-on-the-sofa-so-my-head-is-on-a-big-lumpy-pillow/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [You have to speak your dream out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/you-have-to-speak-your-dream-out-loud/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [And it occurs to me that maybe the reason my mother was so exhausted all the time wasn’t because she was doing so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/and-it-occurs-to-me-that-maybe-the-reason-my-mother-was-so-exhausted/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [The truth is, I'd like to be closer to my kids. I'd like to share more with them. But that's not what this time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/the-truth-is-i-d-like-to-be-closer-to-my-kids-i-d-like-to-share-more/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“How seriously can I take myself? I'm just one of six billion people, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/how-seriously-can-i-take-myself-i-m-just-one-of-six-billion-people/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“Minds don't rest; they reel and wander and fixate and roll back and reconsider because it's like this, having a mind. Hearts don't idle;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/minds-don-t-rest-they-reel-and-wander-and-fixate-and-roll-back-and/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [Shortly before I turned 37 and my older daughter turned 3, I was diagnosed with breast cancer: stage III of IV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/shortly-before-i-turned-37-and-my-older-daughter-turned-3-i-was/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [He defined me first, as parents do. Those early characterizations can become the shimmering self-image we embrace or the limited, stifling perception we rail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/he-defined-me-first-as-parents-do-those-early-characterizations-can/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [My readers often say to me, 'If we lived next door to each other, we'd be best friends.' That is precisely what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/my-readers-often-say-to-me-if-we-lived-next-door-to-each-other-we-d/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“I try to be one of the exceptional people who can live with the complexity of things, who are at peace with the unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/i-try-to-be-one-of-the-exceptional-people-who-can-live-with-the/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“Like the padre said, life is a mystery to be lived. Live your mystery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/like-the-padre-said-life-is-a-mystery-to-be-lived-live-your-mystery/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [It's clear to you immediately that you can have anything you want when you have cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/it-s-clear-to-you-immediately-that-you-can-have-anything-you-want/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“My default answer to everything is no. As soon as I hear the inflection of inquiry in your voice, the word no forms in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/my-default-answer-to-everything-is-no-as-soon-as-i-hear-the/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“When you are in pain, and you see someone else in pain, there is really nothing as satisfying as giving them comfort in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/when-you-are-in-pain-and-you-see-someone-else-in-pain-there-is-really/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [“At first parenthood was as I had expected, exhausting, sometimes heinous, and occasionally divine. I held my children close enough to feel them breathe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/at-first-parenthood-was-as-i-had-expected-exhausting-sometimes/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) [Explore all 47 Kelly Corrigan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. 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I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I almost threw up the first time I set foot inside the University of California, San Francisco's Comprehensive Care Center and joined the stream of thin, slow-moving, low-voiced, gray-skinned people. 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