I hear hate. I hear people who clearly don't have a great understanding of the American dream. That the American dream is based on hard work and dedication, determination, resilience, excitement, mentorship, help and love for each other.

You know how in sports baseball players, they hit home runs. Football players, they throw and they score touchdowns. I get to do something that very few people get to do - I get to touch the human brain, and every day I get to hit home runs, I get to score touchdowns.

If you look at some of the clips of me in the operating room, I sit in the chair, I control the microscope with my mouth, I connect, my hands are always working in the brain, my feet are controlling everything.

I'm not a politician, I'm not an economist. I'm just a simple Brian surgeon and a scientist who's trying to do my best every day.

I'm just a regular guy. I want people to realize that I embody the true American dream. I work hard. I went to school.

The greatest gratification that I get to work with these hands is that when I come out and I go to the waiting room and speak and talk to the families of my patients, I get standing ovations and I get tears and they look at me as superhuman and superhero. No amount of money, no amount of anything can ever compare to that feeling.

The same skills that I used as a welder, as a migrant farm worker, are similar skills that I'm using as a brain surgeon.