A former hospital cleaner's path to becoming a doctor Bruno Eulálio Santos left cleaning a hospital to fulfill a dream that seemed impossible. The young man, raised in Favela do Ressaca, in Contagem (MG), faced a heavy work routine, studied on the bus using more than 1,300 flashcards and, eight years later, earned a medical degree from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). There were 2,900 days, or almost eight years, between the beginning of the journey and graduation, completed in June this year. At 27 years old, Bruno celebrates his achievement after a career marked by financial difficulties, informal jobs and a lot of persistence. Raised in a community in Contagem, Bruno remembers that, despite his difficult childhood and the violence around him, his parents always insisted on the importance of studies as a way to transform the family's reality. As a teenager, he dreamed of being a football player, but his plans changed. At 17, he accepted his sister's invitation to live in Santa Catarina in search of better opportunities. "She said: 'Come on, you won't lack food. You'll have a roof over your head and we'll find a way for you to study'", he recalls. Former cleaner who became a doctor thanks his sister for support Reproduction/TV Globo Before putting on his coat, Bruno worked in different roles. He was a car washer, a snack cart attendant, a tire repairman and a hospital cleaner. It was precisely in this last job that the decision to study medicine was born. According to him, the difference in the way healthcare professionals and cleaning staff were treated sparked reflection. "I realized that there was a huge difference in treatment between the people who were cleaning and the people who were health professionals. So I thought: 'No, cool, if that's the case, then I'll be a doctor and everyone will treat me well'", he thought at the time. The journey of a former hospital cleaner to becoming a doctor Reproduction/TV Globo Soon after, he realized that the biggest challenge would be breaking down the barriers that make it difficult for people from humble origins to access higher education. Unable to pay for a traditional course, Bruno opted for a low-cost online preparation course. During his studies, he discovered a strategy that would change his preparation: the use of flashcards to memorize the content. In total, it produced more than 1,300 cards with questions and answers, reviewed daily during bus journeys between home and work. "Those who work have little time to study. So I studied on the bus", he says. He studied with flash cards on the bus Reproduction/TV Globo After two attempts at the entrance exam, he was approved for medicine at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. It was another six years of graduation until graduation. When remembering the graduation ceremony, Bruno gets emotional as he thanks his sister for her support, who supported him during college and continues to help him as he starts his first shifts. The journey of a former hospital cleaner to becoming a doctor Reproduction/TV Globo She also doesn't hide her pride in her brother. He says that he took on his mother's mission to offer a better life for his family and remembers that, on his graduation day, he told Bruno that, if he died the next day, he would leave happy to see him fulfill the dream that his mother didn't have time to witness. Today, Bruno states that the motivation to continue in the profession has changed. If at first the desire was to gain respect, the college experience transformed his view of medicine. "I realized that medicine is not about us. It's about people. It's about what the patient thinks and what they are feeling", he says. The journey of a former hospital cleaner to become a doctor Reproduction/TV Globo GloboPop: click to see the videos from the Fantástico stage Listen to the Fantástico podcasts ISSO É FANTÁSTICO The Isso É Fantástico podcast is available on g1 and the main podcast apps, bringing great reports, investigations and fascinating stories on podcast with the Fantástico journalism seal: depth, context and information. Follow, like or subscribe to Isso É Fantástico on your favorite podcast player. Every Sunday there's a new episode.