New York City is anti-impossible. Here, modern practitioners redefine impact, culture, and style—where stereotypes shatter, skills cross borders, and neuroscience meets punk rock.

We’re proud to begin our journey with this community, capturing the stories of Anne-Sophie, Randy, and Andrea—New Yorkers embodying this spirit.

Originally from Port au Prince, Anne-Sophie finished high school at 18 before packing up and moving to the States to pursue a career in medicine. But, as the daughter of a doctor, her inspiration to lead a life dedicated to care began much sooner. Anne-Sophie learned from her mother the powerful alchemy between compassion and bullish tenacity, one that continues to motivate her work today.

“Seeing the way my mother cared for other people, especially for her patients, really pushed me to walk into her footsteps.”

From working with overlooked populations in New York City, to medical missions back home in Haiti, to being the only black female resident for all four years of her program, Anne-Sophie keeps her cool under pressure, and pushes forward.

“I get to work with a lot of underserved communities, A lot of my patients are of Caribbean and African background, immigrants, people that are homeless — it’s a very vulnerable community, but they need the best care just like anyone else. I feel grateful and I feel blessed to be able to provide that care to them.”

Where there was no example, Andrea set one, driven by her mission to be there for others in ways she only wished she had experienced throughout her life as a patient.

“Nursing is really the one medical profession that takes care of the heart of the people around them. I realized that’s what I had always wanted for myself as a patient, and that I had to fill that role for someone else.”

Andrea is one of only twenty wheelchaired nurses nationwide. While few in number, the impact of their ongoing advocacy is setting the stage for generations to come.

“Are there more nurses in chairs? Not yet. But there is a shift in narrative, the way language is used towards disability, especially in healthcare, and how other healthcare workers are looking at issues of access and justice.”

The road was far from easy, filled with countless closed doors, but Andrea didn’t stop knocking, proving to every naysayer along the way that she was beyond capable of overcoming any challenge. Andrea is one of only twenty wheelchaired nurses nationwide. While few in number, the impact of their ongoing advocacy is setting the stage for generations to come.

“I FACE THE IMPOSSIBLE EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

Brooklyn born-and-raised Neurosurgeon Randy D’Amico, MD, faces life-threatening tumors on a daily basis. His day-to-day is anything but typical. So, too, is his inspiration to keep fighting. Having cut his teeth in New York’s punk music scene through the 90s and 2000s, playing in bands for over 9 years, he channels a certain anti-conformist, DIY attitude into his medical practice — a refusal to settle for the status quo.

“What I get most from the punk rock world is the ability to be an individual, to stand out, and to face people with confidence. Even if my opinion is different from another, I can say, ‘This is what I think you should do, and this is how we’re going to do it.’ Punk gave me the confidence to come up with my own ideas, and to be comfortable with them.”

Despite long days in search of breakthroughs for his patients, many face to face with their own mortality, Randy maintains unshakable hope in humankind’s ability to find a way through the impossible with both grit, determination, empathy, and gratitude.

He carries this very same hope home with him to his wife and two kids. “I get to go sit down with them and my day will be better. We’re going to eat dinner at six — it’ll be mediocre rice and beans — but we're all going to be fine. We're going to wake up tomorrow and do more.”