A doctor judged me by my worn hoodie and skin black color — but when I returned in a suit, I made him deeply regret it... The waiting room smelled faintly of disinfectant and hopelessness. My five-year-old daughter, Maya, lay limp in my arms, her tiny chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. Her forehead burned against my skin. I had come straight from my night shift at the loading docks — my hoodie stained with sweat and dust, my shoes worn thin. I didn’t care how I looked. I just n