“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”
— Mignon McLaughlin
In November 2024, we marked 20 years of marriage, two decades filled with ambition, travel, medicine, parenting, and a love that endures through sacrifice and growth.
We are Dr. Sam & G, and this is our story. A story that took root in India, matured in the UK, and flourished in the US, alongside raising two children, healing countless patients, and numerous lessons learned along the way.
From India to the World: The Start of Our Medical Odyssey
Our journey started as young, hopeful med students in different cities in India. Sam, born into a distinguished family, had lost her mother too young but carried within her the legacy of strong women. Her grandmother was the sister of Spiritual master Osho Rajneesh. Medicine brought us together through an arranged type marriage after knowing each other for about 2 years, but love ‘deep, resilient love’ made us stay.
After finishing residencies in India, I moved to the UK for advanced training in surgery. Sam followed a year later, leaving behind her rising career in India, not because she had to, but because she believed in us. It was the first of many sacrifices she would make, and I will always honor them.
Love in Foreign Lands: Aberdeen to Omaha
Life in the UK was never part of the original plan, but sometimes the best stories are unscripted. We welcomed our daughter Rhea in Southampton. Sam earned her FRCS and began a residency in Northern Scotland: again proving her brilliance. Meanwhile, I accepted a liver transplant fellowship in Omaha, USA. Just two weeks into it, Sam told me she was pregnant again.
It was a bittersweet time—I missed her being pregnant and showed up on the day of the birth of our son Ronav. She stayed back in Aberdeen, handling life alone with a toddler and a pregnancy, without nearby family or help. The guilt of missing that milestone still lingers. That was the price we paid to build the careers we dreamed of, to give our children a future without borders.
Sam sacrificed her residency (again) to move to the US. I can’t imagine the weight of that decision. But that’s love, ‘it often means putting us before me’.
Living Apart, Growing Closer
Today, I’m an abdominal transplant surgeon in Milwaukee. Sam is an ophthalmologist and assistant professor in Omaha. Yes, we still live in different cities. It’s far from ideal, but it’s our current reality.
We FaceTime every day. We plan weekends like honeymoons. We co-parent, even if sometimes it means reviewing homework over Zoom. We find ways to stay connected: because we know why we’re doing this.
And let’s be honest—long-distance marriage is not glamorous. It’s lonely sometimes. But it also makes you appreciate the little things: a handwritten note in a lunchbox, the way she says “take care” with her eyes, the warm hug after a month apart.
First-Time Parents: Joy and Jitters
Becoming parents changed us. Rhea was born in the UK hospital where I was working. I remember the moment I first held her: terrified, thrilled, tearful. That fragile little bundle made us feel like giants and children at the same time. I showed up to work a day after she was born, my English professor sent me home to take care of newly born and mom for a week.
With our son, though I was there for his first cry but I was not there for Sam pregnancy at all and that ache runs deep. I was in a super busy Fellowship in US where I used to ‘live’ in hospital. But Sam made sure he knew his dad’s love from day one. That’s what partnership looks like—holding the fort while the other follows a calling.
20 Years, Countless Lessons
Looking back, here’s what we’ve learned:
- Success doesn’t come without sacrifice, but shared sacrifices make love stronger.
- Distance is just geography when hearts are aligned.
- There’s no perfect balance between work, life, and love, but there’s harmony in trying.
- Be each other’s cheerleader, not just a partner.
- Celebrate small wins: a good surgery day, a delicious home-cooked meal, a child’s A+.
- Don’t chase symmetry in careers. Support the one who needs it more at that time; take turns.
For Young Doctors in Love…
To those just starting out: ‘medicine is not just a career, it’s a lifestyle’. And marriage is not just companionship, it’s commitment, patience, and growing together. If you’re both in medicine, you’ll face moments where ambition pulls you in different directions. Communicate. Prioritize. Forgive often. Dream together.
Here’s our advice:
- Talk often and honestly.
- Don’t measure love by time spent, but by support given.
- Share victories, share failures—and never stop dreaming together.
A Final Word
We’re not perfect. We fight, we forget birthdays, we fumble. But we never stop trying. That’s what love—and life—is all about.
DrSam&G isn’t just a brand. It’s a promise to share our truth. To inspire lives. To tell you it’s okay to be different. That your love, your dreams, your story: however unconventional, is valid and beautiful.
Because in the end:
Three continents. Two kids. One marriage.
And a lifetime of inspiring lives. – Dr. Sam