On Saturday, two doctors will be added to a Valley family.

Patrick and Macaulay Ojeaga are brothers from McAllen, and on Saturday, they will graduate as doctors together from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s School of Medicine.

“The past year has been incredibly challenging, not just as medical student but for the entire world,” Patrick said. “We were pulled out of our clinical rotation early in in the pandemic and then ultimately we were phased back in.”

The brothers said the pandemic impacted the nature of their studies; they continued learning more about the virus along with the rest of the world.

While they were faced with many hurdles, the most challenging part of graduating will be saying goodbye to one another.

“It’s going to be different,” Patrick said. “I think that's the perfect word for it because we've never been apart for too long.”

The brothers have been in school together since kindergarten, but now they’re headed to different states to complete their residencies.

“It was just so nice having my brother there,” Macaulay said. “If he ever needed anything or I needed anything, we always had each others back.”

Both Patrick and Macaulay plan to return to the Valley to serve the community where they grew up.

“This is home to us,” Macaulay said. “I definitely plan on coming back here.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Macaulay.