A wounded Army veteran is close to achieving his dream of becoming a doctor after earning admittance to the prestigious Harvard Medical School.

GregGaleazzi, 31, lost both of his legs and part of his right arm when a roadside bomb exploded in May 2011 during his deployment to Afghanistan. Since then, he has endured dozens of surgeries and hundreds of hours of physical therapy, which he called a nightmare. But through all the trauma he experienced,Galeazzi held on to his dream of one day becoming a doctor.

Not only did I still want to practice medicine, but it strengthened my resolve to do it, he toldABC News.

Galeazzi took 18 pre-med courses over two years at the University of Maryland, before finishing in May 2016. It was in those classes that Galeazzi met his future fianc,Jazmine Romero, who he plans to marry next year.

Around that time, Galeazzi studied for six months to prepare for the hours-long Medical College Assessment Test, and after passing it, he sent applications to 19 medical schools on the East Coast. While he was accepted to many, Galeazzi announced in a blog poston August 5 that he had chosen to attend thetop-ranking medical institution in the world, Harvard Medical School, where he will study for the next four years.

It is tough to explain just how thrilled I was to simply be invited to interview at Harvard, let alone be accepted, Galeazzi wrote in his announcement. Mostly, it came as an immense relief to know that my hard work in pre-med and MCAT preparation paid off; and it reminded me just how grateful I am to have survived my injuries, and still have talents to share with the world.

Galeazzi is still deciding what type of medicine hellpractice, but hes leaning toward primary care, he told ABC News. In the end, Galeazzi said, he just wants to be a good doctor.

While Ive overcome some pretty harrowing life challenges, medical school is going to be an entirely different struggle, so please wish me luck! he wrote. Then again, I recognize that this is a wonderful challenge to have, and I am happy and eager to take it on!

Excerpt from:
Army Vet Who Lost Both Legs to a Roadside Bomb Is Accepted to Harvard Medical School - PEOPLE.com