Dr. Chelsea Garcia

16/07/2025

It was a cold, gloomy day in Ireland.
I remember staring out the window, feeling completely hollow.
I was sick, but functioning.
Depressed, but moving.
Alive, but barely.

In that moment, I picked up the phone and called a friend;
a fellow Trini who had lived in Ireland much longer than I had.

“Javeed,” I said (name changed), “How do you do it? How did you survive this place?”

▶️Press play for the full story
Part 7/20 will be shared on 18/07/25

15/07/2025

14/07/2025

✈️ I left my island life, surrounded by family and sunshine, and entered medical school in Ireland.

Gloomy. Rainy. Dreary.

Before I left, my aunt asked me if I could cope with the rain. In my immaturity, I thought, “It’s just rain. I’ll use an umbrella.”

🔄 But nothing prepares you for the gloomy sadness that settles in when your days become a monotonous cycle:

hospital, home, study, repeat.
No sunshine for months.

I’d enter the hospital before the sun rose,
and leave when it was setting.
I remember one whole month without seeing the sun at all.

📚 Weekends were spent in the library,
sometimes 14 hours a day, buried in books.
I only stopped when my head hurt so badly I couldn’t focus anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, there was laughter in between, but homesickness hit hard.

Summer breaks in Trinidad were like an antidepressant, but even then, I was prepping for my US exams, trying to fast-track everything to get back to my little island as soon as possible.

🤍 Back home, I was surrounded by non-medical friends. Good people. Happy people. But people who could never fully relate to what I was going through.

It was during these years that I suspect my double life began to form.

The medical version of me: composed, clinical, capable. And the version of me at home: exhausted, holding too much, but still trying to laugh at the right times.

💔I remember staring out the window one day feeling completely hollow.
I was sick, but functioning.
Depressed, but moving.
Alive, but barely.

In that moment, I picked up the phone and called a friend….
Part 6/20 will be shared on 16/07/25

12/07/2025

You know those doctor shows on TV?
They trick you.

I spent the months before med school wondering what I’d wear under my white coat.
Sexy professional clothes ? Stylish hair?
I thought that was what becoming a doctor looked like.
..Then came week one.

That Friday morning, I saw “Anatomy Lab” on my schedule. “No big deal,” I thought. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what I walked into.

The room was filled with hundreds of dead bodies. The smell of formaldehyde hit me like a wall. It was like walking into a horror movie.

🫠 And then came the twist…

They showed me the body I’d be working on for the rest of the year, and handed me a scalpel.

“We’re starting with the knee…let’s find the ACL.” They couldn’t be serious...

My anatomy partner (whose dad was an orthopedic surgeon) was thrilled to get started.
She leaned in confidently, long black hair trailing onto the cadaver, as she cut into the knee with expert flair.

She stood up proudly to show me the ligament she had exposed-
but I couldn’t focus.

All I could see was a glob of yellow body fat stuck in her hair. I was using every ounce of strength not to vomit.

I wanted to run.
I wanted to scream.
But I was on a scholarship,
and if I quit, I’d have to figure out how to pay it all back.

So I tied up my hair.
Picked up the scalpel.
And started cutting.

Want to know the wildest part?
Anatomy became my favourite subject that year 😅.

Sometimes the moments that almost break you are the ones that break you open.
Part 5/20 will be shared on the 14/07/25

10/07/2025

Months passed after Zara’s death I mourned deeply.
My dream of being a vet had died with her.

And then one day our house phone rang.

🎉 “Congratulations, Chelsea!”
😕 “For what?” I asked.
😱 “You won an open scholarship!”

It meant I could choose any university in the world, and my government would pay for it.
I had placed among the top students in the country.
I had won.

My father cried that day.
Prepared to sell his home for me to pursue vet school, the weight was off his shoulders.
His sacrifice had not gone unnoticed.

“Chelsea,” he said gently,
“You don’t have to do what people expect you to do.
Be what you want to be.
Not for anyone, but for yourself.”

That’s my father.
My best friend.
He never pushed me to fit in.
He never forced me to follow the norms.
He only ever wanted me to follow my truth.

And I reassured him, this was my truth.

So I made a decision.
I applied for medicine- human medicine.
“I want this,” I said.

And with tears in his eyes, he told me it felt like he had won the lotto.
He had prayed for the chance to give me the life I dreamed of,
and God answered.

Zara’s death - the pain, the grace, the calling - led me straight from Trinidad to The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Little did I know what week one would bring…

08/07/2025

🌙 That night changed everything…

For the first 19 years of my life, I wanted to be a vet. I loved animals with my whole heart, especially my dog Zara.

Then one night, everything changed.
Zara, who I loved more than anything, was dying. I lay beside her on her pink blanket all night, desperate to help. At that time in Trinidad, there were no out-of-hours vets.

She writhed in pain, her neck flung back as she looked at me, helpless.
I was helpless too. All I could do was hold her.

By 6 a.m., the vet finally arrived, but it was too late. “She’s too far gone,” he said gently.
She was euthanized.

🤢 I ran to the bathroom and vomited.
I always show my emotions with nausea, and that day my body couldn’t hold the pain.

That night taught me what it felt like to watch someone you love suffer and not be able to help. Zara was not a pet, she was family.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

The night planted a seed in me. A deep conviction:
No one should suffer like that.
No one should die alone or unsupported.

Accepted into veterinary school abroad, my father had no idea how he was going to pay for it. He was ready to sell our home so that I could chase my dream.

And then one day our house phone rang -
Part 3/20 will be shared on 10/07/25

06/07/2025

It feels as though no one really knows me.

For years, I looked after everyone:
My patients, my family, my friends.
I gave so much of myself to care for others that somewhere along the way,
I forgot to care for me.

I sacrificed endlessly for my medical career.
I hid parts of myself to fit into a world defined by expectations.
I lived and worked in a society bound by unspoken rules; rules I followed even when they cost me pieces of who I was.

As a palliative doctor, I’ve witnessed the rawest moments of human life and death. That kind of proximity to suffering and truth that shapes you. It gave me a perspective most can’t understand.

I held it in silence, until silence became unbearable. However, today everything changes.

I am ready to set myself free.
I will no longer box myself in.

Let me say this:

➡️ I love being a mother. My children, and the many around me, are my greatest joy.

➡️ I love being a doctor. It's my life’s calling, though it nearly cost me my life.

➡️ I love my country, Trinidad. I cannot live anywhere else, though at a time, caring for my people almost broke me.

🙏 About to break my silence, my journey has led me to share a series of deeply personal stories. Writing has been my healing, and I am no longer afraid as I walk with God. My hope is to heal, to connect, and for you to truly know my heart.

This is me.
Welcome to my story…

📍Part 2/20 will be shared on 08/07/25


Note: Some names and details have been changed to honour the privacy of those in my life.

02/06/2025

🚨 Important Notice 🚨

Hi everyone,

It’s come to my attention that a fake profile has been created using my name and image. As a medical professional, this is not only deeply concerning but potentially dangerous. Misleading others with unsolicited or inaccurate information can cause real harm.

I would greatly appreciate your help in reporting the profile.

Please click the three dots on the page (see screenshot) and select “Report.”

THE PAGE CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://www.facebook.com/share/1J7hAy9pp2/

In addition to this, if you're following the page, please UNFOLLOW.

As always, your support means a lot. Thank you for helping me protect others and maintain the integrity of my work.

08/05/2025

Grieving? Overwhelmed? You’re Not Alone. 💙

We know the pain is real—so is our commitment to help.

The Living Water Grief & Wellness Program is a free, 6-month support service designed for patients, families, and anyone facing grief, loss, dementia, or serious illness.


Through individual in-home visits and monthly group sessions, our trained professionals are here to walk with you—gently, patiently, compassionately.

📍 Open to all, not just LivHealth patients

🧠 Support for Dementia & Parkinson’s
💔 Support for Grief & Bereavement
🏡 In-home counselling for qualified palliative families


➡️ Group sessions begin May 19 – space is limited.

📞 Call 299-1634 or
📧 email info@livhealthtt.com
to join or refer a patient.

‌

30/01/2025

Four years ago, my son was born, and so was LivHealth. Two children, born in the same year. 🎂
I am not the same person I was then. So much has happened— I’ve learned, I’ve grown, and overcome.
Back then, I knew nothing about business. I was a doctor, not a business owner. I faced the struggle of a small startup, unsure of what the future would hold.
It reminds me of a story about Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx. In the early days, he took a trip to Las Vegas in desperation, where he made $27,000 to keep the company running. While I’m not a gambler, I’ve had to reach out in times of desperation to keep LivHealth alive. To those who have been there, offering support when I needed it most, thank you. Our entire community is grateful.
There were moments when I almost gave up. My mentor handed me a resume and told me to get out of operations and return to what I do best—caring for patients. Yet as Paul Garvin, founder of Motorola, said, “Do not fear mistakes. Wisdom is often born of such mistakes.”
I’m endlessly grateful to the people who have come into my life—those who’ve reached down to lift me up, who’ve shown me wisdom, and guided me through it all. 🙏
Every day, I walk the plank alone, but I walk it with the knowledge that I am not alone in this journey. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Here's to another 4 years (and beyond!). 💙

17/01/2025

Can you guess how many children I have?⁉️

I only have two biological children, but in my heart I have 8 kiddos.

Nieces, Nephews and Godchildren- I love them all as my own, with every unique personality they all bring. 🥰

# Funfact - On this platform you may know me as a workaholic, but I am also a momaholic and live my life for a constant dose of all things children! 💜