78 Magazine 2020 Medical Issue

The Soul of Medicine | Jan/Feb 2021 | 78MAG.COM

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THE

MEDICAL

ISSUE

The Courtship of Dr. LoRissia Autery of Walker Women’s Specialists

+ Dr. Matthew freeman Suzanne Pugh joe kelley Lindsay Rice

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CONTENTS THE WELL 12 the courtship of dr. lorissia autery 18 the legacy of joe kelley 24 a fortuitous detour 28 the double e.m.d.

34 from teacher to ceo 38 playing to win 44 a life of balance 48 the diligent, dynamic doctor 52 more than a surgeon

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Features 56 photo essays

Owner & Publisher Al Blanton Production Director Linley Allred Editor & Writer Terrell Manasco Photographer Blakeney Clouse Graphic Designer Sarah O’Mary Roberts Communications Specialists Kendra Brown Justin Hunter Erin Shockey

72 portraits

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PO Box 67 Jasper, AL 35501 Email ablanto3@gmail.com Facebook: @78mag Instagram: 78online Phone: (205) 587-1170 www.78mag.com Cover: Dr. LoRissia Autery of Walker Women’s Specialists.

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60

78 | On Ramp

An old kitchen outside of Marion, AL

O

ne of the most difficult moments of life is when you realize you are broken.

It seems I keep getting reminders about this.

Just when I think I’m getting tough, something will come along and stampede me emotionally. At that point, I’ll realize how frail I really am and how much I need God. About a year and a half ago, I started seeing a Christian counselor.

Truthfully, I am still a bit embarrassed to admit this, even though it’s totally been a life-changing experience for me. Often, when people call me and I tell them I’ve been meeting with my counselor, a four- or five-second moment of awkward silence inevitably follows. They don’t know what to say. Nor do I. Why is it so embarrassing for us to admit that we need help? Seeking help and facing our demons ought to be perceived as strong, not weak. Talking to someone about our problems—instead of bottling it all in—is the best poultice for our souls.Right?

Hold that thought for a moment.

It goes without saying that health has been a major theme of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has made sweeping changes to our world, some of which will prove to be permanent. How many other events have affected us so comprehensively?

During this time, much of our attention has been centered on two things: our physical health and the economy. But I believe there is an area we have seriously overlooked.

I have spoken to several medical professionals who informed me that cases of depression, suicide, and anxiety are significantly higher during the pandemic. One shared a story of an 11-year-old who took his own life. Eleven.

Politics aside, can we step back for a moment and think about what this is doing to us, both individually and as a society? How is it affecting our mental and emotional state of mind?

After all, whether or not we are sick is just a part of our total health picture.

Our overall health also includes our mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and I don’t think we, as a society, have fully considered the ramifications of

the pandemic in these areas. What does it do to a person’s mental and emotional health when he or she puts on a mask every morning and walks out into the world with sickness as his or her prime concern? How does the lack of human touch affect our emotional health? What has absence from the sanctuary and the fellowship of believers done to our spiritual health?

I am concerned about us. I am concerned for our children. I am concerned about what this is doing to our interior. Some have gotten stronger, but many are rotting away.

During this scourge, as I’ve greeted people in the general course of my day, I have spoken to a handful of individuals who have not spoken back. Instead, they just look back at me with a blank, hollow stare. It’s as if their inner light has been reduced to a mere flicker.

I cannot imagine what people are going through. The loss of a job. The frustration of a ruined business. The dearth of human interaction. Months of isolation and aloneness. Sickness, stress, uncertainty, anger, dread, and death. All of which takes an emotional toll on us.

During this time, the Scriptures will help us. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 But there are times that also require professional help.

May we find the courage to seek the help that we need. Talk to somebody.

Get it out. Get it off your chest. Allow light to shine on the inner places.

Yes, we are all broken. But that doesn’t mean we have to remain shattered.

So be encouraged today. Remind yourself that you have tremendous worth and value. That you are loved by God. That the Lord of all creation cares for you.

When the darkness closes in, lift your eyes to the heavens and gaze at the pure light. Be comforted by him who is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Amen and amen.

78 | The Well

THE COURTSHIP OF

Dr. LoRissia Autery As a teen, LoRissia Autery vowed she would never live in Jasper. After she became an OB-GYN, she learned a valuable lesson: never say never.

Words by Justin Hunter | Images by Blakeney Clouse

D

r. LoRissia Autery’s journey to Jasper was like a romance movie on Netflix. The main characters are introduced to one another, chemistry develops, and love triumphs in the end.

Like the female lead in those movies, Dr. Autery fell in love, but it wasn’t a dashing young man who captured her heart. It was a small Alabama town.

And it definitely wasn’t love at first sight.

Autery, now an OB/GYN with Walker Women’s Specialists, was in the Midfield High School marching band when she first visited Jasper in the summer of 1992.

In those days, the Midfield Patriots hosted their band camp at Walker College, now Bevill State Community College. At the time, Autery, who is from Birmingham, had zero interest in moving here.

“Back then, you could not have paid me a million dollars to live in Jasper, Alabama,” she admits. “I was 16 or 17. I had heard stories of the perception of African Americans in Jasper. There was no way I could live in Walker County because I believed a young black woman had no business being out here.”

Many folks from metro areas didn’t see Walker County as being welcoming to people of color or as a place of diversity. As a black physician, Autery has helped break down racial barriers and misnomers in

12 | 78 Magazine

people’s hearts and minds. “I have learned some, and I think people around me have learned some, because I may be the only person of color they come into contact with,” she says. “And, I want them to know that I am not a unicorn or an exception. There are many more educated black women out there.”

Autery came of age during the 1980s. Raised in a home that valued God and education, her parents were the first in their families to attend school and graduate from college. They imparted a love for God and learning into Autery and her sister.

“When I was little, I wanted to be a dancer and model,” Autery says. “My sister wanted to be a doctor.

I’ve always kind of followed her. Basically, God put it on her heart, so I could become a doctor. I knew that once I got out of high school, I wanted to be a doctor and deliver babies.”

In high school, Autery scheduled her first appointment with an OB/GYN without her mom’s assistance. It wasn’t until she was older that she recognized God was nudging her toward her destiny.

A self-described “lifelong learner,” Autery graduated from Midfield High in 1992 and obtained her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She knew it was foreordained for her to attend medical school at Howard

78 Magazine | 13

University in Washington, D.C., because God told her she would go.

Proverbs 30:5 says “Every word from God is tested.” Enduring that process produces maturity, a lesson Autery learned at UAB when an advisor told her she wasn’t “competitive enough to become a physician.” Undeterred, Autery applied to medical school and soon received a letter announcing that she was on Howard University’s alternate list for acceptance.

Autery waited for a call back for a year, but the call never came. “I had a cathartic moment when med school started, and I wasn’t in yet. I broke down,” she says. “I had, I don’t know if you would call it a dream, that night. It was God saying, ‘I didn’t tell you when, but that you would go to Howard.’”

The door to medical school was closed for a season, allowing Autery to complete her master’s degree in education at UAB. The following year, the door opened.

“I had the feeling of, ‘Is this really happening?’” she says. “Then I was overwhelmed, in a good way, to know that my dream, my calling, was coming to fruition. I knew ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ I knew my life was God’s gift to me, what I make of it is my gift to Him.” Autery graduated medical school in 2006, completed her residency at Tulane University in New Orleans, and opened a private practice at Tulane – Lakeside Hospital.

In 2011, her story took an interesting turn. “One day, I put my resume out on the internet,” Autery recalls. “The next day, I got a call from Walker Baptist. They were interested in me. I was like, ‘What in the world?’”

It was as if the city of Jasper was calling to ask her for a date. Reluctantly, Autery said yes.

“I thought, ‘I do not want to move to Jasper, but it is drawing me,’” she remembers. “It was like dating, when you like somebody you aren’t supposed to like.”

In time, Jasper’s irresistible Southern charm won Autery’s heart and love triumphed in the end. The small town she once saw as an unwelcoming place is now her home.

Thankfully, no one had to pay her a million dollars. 78

14 | 78 Magazine

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THE LEGACY OF JOE KELLEY Former owner/administrator Joe Kelley reflects on the history of Ridgeview and Ridgewood Health Services and passing the torch to his daughters Joette Kelley Brown and Alicia Kelley-Stewart

Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Al Blanton

I

n 1977, the owner of a group of nursing homes sent two employees, Frank Caldwell and Joe Kelley, to visit Ridgewood Nursing Home, which he was considering acquiring. The owner subsequently changed his mind and the story might have ended there if the employees hadn’t recognized opportunity rapping at their door.

“Frank and I had the opportunity to step in his place,” Joe says. “That began in March of ‘77. In December, we got the same opportunity at Ridgeview.”

when they couldn’t take care of themselves,” he says. “Now it’s become more of a rehabilitation back into the community.”

Joe’s daughters, Joette Kelley Brown and Alicia KelleyStewart, spent many hours at Ridgewood and Ridgeview as young girls. Now retired, Joe has left the businesses in their capable hands. “I grew up running the halls with Alicia and getting ice cream and wheeling the residents to the beauty shop,” Joette says. “You know, it’s just in our blood.”

The facilities, now known as Ridgewood and Ridgeview Health Services, have gone through several changes over the years. Built in 1962, Ridgeview had around 100 beds when it was built; now it has 148.

After receiving a degree in leisure management from Ole Miss in the late 1990’s, Joette lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Although she loved the area, she felt something calling her back home. In 1999, she phoned her dad and asked if she could come work in the nursing home. His response was, “Absolutely!”

Joe served as administrator for several decades and says the biggest change is that nursing homes have become a major part of modern healthcare. “It started out as a place for people to go

“I worked my way up, started at minimum wage, worked various jobs and positions, and got my administrator’s license,” Joette says.

18 | 78 Magazine

(L-R) Joette Kelley Brown, Joe Kelley, and Alicia Kelley-Stewart

Alicia was also living in Jackson Hole, but after 11 years there, she too felt something calling her home. In 2009, she answered that call. Soon, she was headed south with Jackson Hole in her rear-view mirror. Once she was back home, she enrolled in Bevill State Community College’s nursing program.

share of challenges, but none greater than it would face in 2020.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year has had devastating effects on the healthcare system as a whole, and March 13, 2020 is a day staff and residents of Ridgeview and Ridgewood will never forget.

When Joe was ready to retire, Joette told him she was interested in purchasing Ridgeview. Around that time, Alicia was planning to be married. When Joette arrived for the wedding, she brought a special gift for the bride and groom. “The night of the rehearsal dinner, I gave them applications to come work. I needed some help!” Joette laughs.

“We decided, before there was a regulation, that we needed to protect our people,” Alicia says. “We shut the doors to visitors.

That’s one of the hardest decisions that we’ve ever had to make.”

After graduating from Bevill State, Alicia worked in various nursing positions and went on to obtain her administrator’s license. A few years later, she partnered with her sister as a coowner of both nursing homes.

Throughout the years, the healthcare facility has had its

Mincing no words, Joe describes the experience as horrific.

“It’s been a living hell for everybody—the staff, these girls.

Nobody has been put in this situation before,” he says. “I was extremely worried about these girls. They were under an unbelievable amount of stress. I don’t see how they held up.”

The physical and mental exhaustion of 12- and 16-hour days for 7 days a week, coupled with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness, took their toll on Joette. Fighting emotion,

she remembers days when ambulances were commonplace.

“People need to know how devastating it was. The hardest part for me is when you feel like your absolute best isn’t good enough,” she says. “I know we couldn’t stop it but when you have a family member that has been with us for 15 years pass away, your heart can’t help but go out to them.”

Several organizations pitched in to help. The Walker Area Community Foundation donated iPads so that residents could FaceTime with their families. While it made the situation more bearable, there is always the innate need for human contact. “I walked into a resident’s room one day and they just wanted a hug. That’s so hard,” Joette says.

Alicia and Joette praise the nurses and staff for getting down in the trenches and putting their lives on the line, displaying a selfless and a courageous attitude that held everyone together.

“For whatever reason this godforsaken virus came here, it made us stronger as a team,” Joette says.

In spite of the stress of the last few months, there are some positive developments. In August, the Kelleys purchased Southeast Hospice, which provides hospice care to those who are terminally ill or very sick. They now have offices in Jasper, as well as in Shelby and Montgomery counties.

Secondly, they recently launched eBrook Technologies, a company which provides IT support for businesses, as well as offering services like web hosting, antivirus, and PC/monitoring.

Lastly, they purchased the Farmstead School property, where they hope to eventually construct a new, state-of-the-art nursing home building.

When Joe Kelley opened those doors of opportunity in 1977, he didn’t just launch two new businesses. He gave birth to a legacy which has lasted over four decades and which his daughters are proud to carry on.

“Mom and Dad have been amazing role models,” Joette says. “To be able to carry the blood, sweat, and tears, and the legacy of what Dad started is truly a blessing.”

“They’ve always taught us to put others before yourself and they show that in their actions,” Alicia adds. “This is a great opportunity to give back to God’s children.”

His face beaming with fatherly pride, Joe says their success is undoubtedly the work of a Higher Power.

“This is a dad’s dream, when you’ve got children coming back to do what I did for 40 years,” he says. “In the ‘70s, I was too young and stupid to know why I was doing this. I think Divine Providence is what’s led all of us down this path.” 78

20 | 78 Magazine

Joe and his wife, Annette

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D

r. Jerry Mosley might be delivering babies now if he’d just given up one habit.

Many years ago, he was doing OB-GYN rotations at Cooper Green and Carraway Hospitals in Birmingham when he had an epiphany. Exhausted from being up all night delivering babies, he thought to himself, I don’t think I can do this the rest of my life.

“One of my biggest faults is I need eight hours of sleep,” Mosley laughs.

Besides that innocuous habit, Mosley might be located in another town, had fate not intervened.

Born in Sheffield, Alabama, Mosley grew up primarily in the Birmingham area. His dad was a civil engineer for U.S. Pipe and the family moved around a few times.

He attended Banks High School, completed his undergraduate coursework at Auburn University, and attended medical school at UAB, where he also did his residency and internship.

A Fortuitous Detour Birmingham native and internist Dr. Jerry Mosley reflects on his career and his decision to live in Jasper.

Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Blakeney Clouse

24 | 78 Magazine

Though Dr. Mosley moved to Jasper in 1981, he narrowly missed being a doctor in Cullman. “I came to Jasper out of default,” he says.

“I had looked at going to Starkville, Mississippi, with a friend who decided to go somewhere else. An older doctor in Cullman wanted me to come there.”

Mosley set his sights on Cullman, but never made it because he received a call from his friend, Dr. Steve Johnson. “He was working with Buddy Cross and Mike Brasfield,” Mosley remembered. “He said, ‘We need some help. Why don’t you come out here and practice with us?’

I wanted to live in a small town, so I

said I’d try it.”

to make a living. I would have starved to death,” he jokes.

The practice consisted of four physicians split into two groups. Drs. Johnson and Mosley teamed up and worked from an office in Carbon Hill, while the other two remained in Jasper. This practice led to them becoming involved with the football team. “Steve is from Carbon Hill,” Mosley says.

“He loved that community and wanted us to get involved.

We became their team doctors and started going to their games. We even traveled to their away games.”

A family man, Dr. Mosley is married with three children. His wife, Lynn, is a physical therapist. Taylor is an ophthalmologist in Jasper. (“He’s very good at what he does.”) His older daughter, Erin, is an accountant, while his youngest, Kristen, is working on her doctorate in education at the University of Texas at Austin.

When Dr. Mosley’s son, Taylor, began playing for the Walker High team in 1990, Mosley moved his practice to Jasper and worked with the Vikings until Taylor graduated high school. “That was before (Coach) Bubba Davis was here,” he says. “They were more than happy to have somebody in internal medicine on the field. I wasn’t a lot of good for some of the orthopedic things that would happen.”

Thirty-nine years ago, Dr. Mosley saw his first patient in Walker County. As for choosing Jasper over Cullman, Mosley says it proved to be a fortuitous detour.

“It was a wonderful, serendipitous happening for me,” he says. “It’s been a great place to raise my family. I love Jasper. It’s home.” 78

Davis’s strength, Mosley says, was that he knew how to get the community involved. “When Bubba came in, he kept people involved,” Mosley says. “He would drag you to physicals; he would just bring people in here. It was just simple things like colds, ears, infections, etc.”

Dr. Mosley stayed on with the team until the departure of Coach Davis’s successor, John Holladay, in 2013.

His regular practice continued but sadly, one of the four partners, Dr. Charles “Buddy” Cross, passed away in 2012. Now Dr. Brasfield now has his own practice and Mosley and Johnson continue to practice medicine together in a picturesque two-story office building on 19th Street in Jasper.

Though the practice has been enjoyable, it has also presented its fair share of challenges. COVID-19 initially changed the way Dr. Mosley practiced medicine. While some doctor visits are conducted over the phone, Mosley prefers to see patients in person.

“I can’t do telephone medicine,” he says. “I tried it briefly. I felt like I was not offering people what they really need as a physician. There’s a lot of art in medicine and getting people better that science doesn’t allow for.”

“I’m a dinosaur,” he grins. “I think you need to see people.”

When he has time to relax. Dr. Mosley enjoys painting.

He also finds clay sculpting to be very therapeutic but admits it’s strictly for fun. “I was blessed in that I didn’t try

78 Magazine | 25

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The Double E.M.D. In 1954, a young Auburn freshman agreed to do a favor for a friend. That favor subsequently led to a long and successful career in medicine for Dr. Eugene Birdsong.

Words by Erin Shockey | Images by Blakeney Clouse In Iuka, Mississippi, I learned a lot about the ‘Art of Medicine.’ I learned that the little lady in room four was not ‘the Appendectomy’ as patients were so often referred to during school and internship. She actually had a name. I learned to never, never, never compromise your values, medical knowledge or skills. I reaffirmed something that had been instilled in my life from a good home: never, never, never let image compromise your integrity.

Image is the type of person that people think you are, but integrity is the type of person that you really are.”

- Dr. Gene Birdsong, in a speech at a Huntsville Hospital On a brisk morning in the spring of 1954, Dr. William Eugene ‘Gene’ Birdsong said “yes” to an opportunity that altered his life forever.

Then a freshman at Auburn University, Dr. Birdsong was asked by a friend to sit with a student at the Auburn infirmary who had been injured in a car accident. The experience exposed Birdsong to the world of medicine in a way he had never experienced before. In that moment, he became compelled to explore the possibilities of a career in medicine. This spark of interest soon became allencompassing and led to an impactful, lifelong career touching thousands of lives.

Gene Birdsong grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and attended Auburn University from 1953-1956. After changing his field of study from engineering to pre-medicine, he was accepted into medical school during his third year at Auburn and went on to earn his medical degree in 1960 from the University of Mississippi in Jackson. He knew that as a doctor he would truly make a difference in peoples’ lives, which is exactly what he wanted in a career.

“I didn’t graduate from Auburn before going to medical school and I have had many friends tease me throughout the years for that,” Dr. Birdsong says, smiling.

“In 2016 my family and friends submitted a copy of my medical school transcript to Auburn and I was awarded a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering. I kept telling people I was a ‘double E.M.D,’” he laughs.

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Birdsong stayed in Mississippi to work in a general practice. During that time, he also served as a flight surgeon in the United States Army for almost two years.

In 1965, the opportunity of a lifetime opened to meet the needs of a community

in Jasper, Alabama. The obstetrician there was delivering 300-400 babies a year but didn’t have a pediatrician to take care of the newborns. As it turns out, a local radiologist knew just the man for the job— one of his medical school classmates, Dr. Gene Birdsong.

“The two things I enjoyed most in medical school were pediatrics and obstetrics, so I was excited when I heard of the opportunity in Jasper,” he says.

Without

hesitation,

Dr.

Birdsong

packed his bags and moved to Walker County to assist the doctor there and begin his own family practice. The doctor became a great mentor for Birdsong in obstetrics, which led him to develop an obstetrical practice of his own.

“When you deliver a newborn and there are other children in the family, quite often the whole family rotates to your practice,” Birdsong says. “Obstetrics was a good field for my family practice in that way.”

While he worked to build a successful practice of his own, Dr. Birdsong also met needs in Walker County’s emergency room. When he first arrived in Jasper, there was no emergency

room coverage and Walker County led the state in automobile deaths. Local physicians were put on a rotation system to take calls for the emergency room. Birdsong still recalls the staff’s openness towards him taking ER calls upon his arrival here.

Over time, he became the first physician called to treat ER patients.

Dr. Birdsong also served his community on the football field. For many years, he was the team physician for the Walker Vikings. Often, he would spot individuals on or around the field whom he had literally brought into the world. “One night, Walker High School was playing Curry and I counted 11 defensive starters, 11 offensive starters, and a cheerleading

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complement that I had delivered,” he beams.

Over 43 years in practice, Birdsong has treated patients of all ages, ranging from before birth to 101 years old. He has cared for over 10,000 newborns and delivered close to 8,000 babies. In one fascinating case, Birdsong had the privilege of delivering babies for three generations.

While a significant majority of Dr. Birdsong’s practice was spent serving the people of Walker County, his heart for missions led him to serve across the world on numerous occasions. For seven consecutive years he participated in international mission trips to places like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Liberia and Honduras. Dr. Birdsong sacrificed time with his wife, Pat, and their children to travel to these countries and serve families like he would want someone to serve his own.

“There have been a couple of cases where I dealt with a situation in my practice in Jasper and a similar situation occurred on the mission field,” Dr. Birdsong says. “I was able to give my recommendations to the doctors on what they should do.”

While serving on missions, Dr. Birdsong delivered babies on three different continents.

Even though his time on the mission field has ended, he still cherishes the opportunities he’s had to serve families and children overseas. His love for children and families knew no bounds­­­—surpassing borders and language barriers—and his focus on these missions was to love and serve people with knowledge and integrity.

Since retiring in 2003, Dr. Birdsong has acclimated to a slower pace of life. Retirement has given him more time to spend with his growing family of 6 children, 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Even now, he remains close with many of his patients and often reflects on the years spent serving Jasper.

“I loved the work I was doing while I was practicing,” Dr. Birdsong says fondly. “The interaction with the families and getting connected with the families was the best part.”

He recognizes that whether he was in moments of lassitude or joy, his faith was the cornerstone of his practice and he was exactly where he needed to be.

“Jasper has been a very good town for me,” Dr. Birdsong says. “On April 28, 1965, the journey of a lifetime began and didn’t slow down for 38 years. I am very blessed.”

Not bad for a double E.MD. 78

32 | 78 Magazine

From Teacher to CEO Lindsay Rice recalls how her plans to become a teacher led to her becoming the CEO of Alabama Colon & Gastro in Huntsville.

Words by Erin Shockey Image by Al Blanton

L

indsay Rice has lived up to the title “strategic planner” her entire life.

After growing up in Walker County, she planned to graduate from the University of Alabama, marry, teach, and start a family—in that order.

Nowhere in her strategic plan was the title, “CEO of a Successful Medical Practice” ever included, yet that is exactly the position Lindsay finds herself in today.

After five years as CEO of Alabama Colon & Gastro in Huntsville, Alabama, Lindsay, for once in her life, is thankful that not everything went according to plan.

34 | 78 Magazine

Growing up in Sumiton, Lindsay often competed in local pageants. She won the Walker County Junior Miss title in 1995 and the Miss Walker County title in 1996.

While attending college at the University of Alabama, Lindsay’s interests were in history, museum studies, and teaching. In her anthropology class on human osteology, she was paired with an aspiring medical student named Brad Rice as a lab partner. The two became close friends through class and eventually started dating.

Upon Brad’s acceptance to medical school, the couple became engaged and were later married. After obtaining a master’s in history and a teaching certificate from the University of South Alabama, Lindsay began her career as a teacher at UMS Wright Prep School in Mobile, gaining skills that she would later use in her career.

The couple then moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where they lived for six years. Brad completed his fellowship and it was time to start planning their next move to settle down and raise their two-year-old son, Sam. “When it came time to figure out where we were going to settle, my husband received job offers from across the country,” Lindsay smiles. “One day a postcard came in the mail from Huntsville and that changed everything.”

The move to Huntsville was the beginning of something extraordinary for the Rices. After Sam began school, Lindsay served on various boards and quickly became involved in local philanthropic organizations, such as the Junior League of Huntsville. Through these service opportunities, she acquired communications and marketing skills that would benefit future career endeavors that were waiting just around the corner.

In 2015, Brad was ready to take a leap of faith and open his own medical practice in Huntsville, specializing in digestive diseases, endoscopy and hepatology.

However, he would only do so under one condition: Lindsay had to be the CEO. “My first thought was, ‘I don’t know anything about running a medical practice,’” Lindsay laughs. “But I finally agreed and said from the beginning, ‘If we fail, at least we tried. We did it ourselves and it’s on us.’”

With their family’s livelihood on the line, Lindsay did everything she could to research and learn how to run a successful practice. The Rice’s collective faith and dedication to hard work helped them build a strong

foundation for a successful practice.

“I am a firm believer that if it’s meant to be, it will be,” Lindsay says. “For our practice, everything fell into place at the right time, like it was meant to be.”

Alabama Colon & Gastro opened its doors in December 2015 and began seeing its first patients in January the following year. The practice began with four employees; it has since grown to 18. Over the past five years, Alabama Colon & Gastro has built faithful relationships with patients and referring physicians across North Alabama and beyond.

Lindsay believes the success of their practice is due to the staff’s dedication to quality customer service, the determination to constantly improve, and to clever T-shirt marketing efforts (last year’s Christmas shirts read “’Twas the Night before Your Colonoscopy”).

She has implemented successful collaboration techniques from the classroom to the medical practice, such as regular staff meetings and quarterly committee meetings. She believes her experiences as a teacher was the best training she could have ever had to prepare her for her role as CEO. “We love taking care of our patients and advocating for them,” Lindsay says. “Because we are a hub for North Alabama, we have patients from Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. We even have patients that drive up here from Florida, which I still can’t believe!”

The practice will continue to benefit patients in north Alabama and beyond. As for Lindsay, even though becoming CEO of Alabama Colon & Gastro was never part of her strategic plan, she wouldn’t have it any other way. 78

PLAYING TO WIN

Though life has taken him away from his hometown of Jasper, Dr. Matthew Freeman will never forget the place—and the people—that shaped him.

Words and Images by Al Blanton

I

magine it’s 1985 and an eight-year-old boy, wearing a ball cap and a short-sleeve Polo knit shirt, is climbing the fairway at Musgrove Country Club in Jasper. As he walks, his eyes hunt the Titleist that he’s just punched up onto the green, and in the back of his mind he imagines he’s Jack Nicklaus charging up the 18th hole at The Masters. In front of him, the sun is poking in and out of the towering pines and there is an indescribable quietness to the place. On days like this the golf course feels like heaven.

In just a short while, he’ll pencil in his scorecard and retire to the pro shop, where Travis Hudson will ask him what he shot and make him feel ten feet tall. Men in A-shirts will gather and tell funny stories and off-color jokes in the dank locker room, where the eight-year-old will drink it all in. Through the years, these frames will make an indelible impact on the boy, forever stamped into his memory and life. They will remain with him as he graduates high school and goes off to college and finds a pretty girl who will become his wife. But more than that, the game of golf and his memories at Musgrove Country Club will shape his perception of home.

38 | 78 Magazine

Today, that eight-year-old boy is going on his 13th year as a family medical practitioner. Dr. Matthew Freeman has seen literally thousands and thousands of patients and provided comfort to those in a vulnerable state—some on the edge of losing hope—but he’ll say that there’s much more to being a doctor than telling people what kind of illness they have.

“All people really want is someone to talk to,” Freeman says. “They need someone to hear what their problems are, really listen to them, not really say too much.”

Freeman believes his ability to sympathize with his patients’ concerns stems from a life of seeing a broader picture and having interests outside the field of medicine.

While at the University of Alabama, for instance, Freeman majored in history and for a time flirted with the idea of going to law school. While in Tuscaloosa, he also took a variety of coursework in the field of communications, daydreaming about becoming the next Keith Jackson. He is a sports enthusiast who follows Alabama football dutifully, attending all of the national championship games the Crimson Tide has participated in during the Saban era. He is interested in politics, biography, government, and other compelling fields of study. In short, being a doctor does not define him. “I’m

way stronger in history and English, writing papers, discussion and debate; all those things fit my personality better than physics, biology, or anatomy,” he says. “But I think that’s one of the things that helps me to be a good doctor.

My job doesn’t really consist of anatomy, physics, and chemistry. It’s more talking with people and listening to what they have to say.

That part of my personality is what I try to use in my profession—way more so than where the radial artery is.”

Growing up in Jasper, Freeman attended Memorial Park School, Maddox Middle School, and Walker High School. He was a stellar student at every step along the way, he was very involved, and was a leader and popular with his peers. At Walker, he played on the golf team, served as Student Council President, and was eventually named as the school’s Valedictorian. He was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his senior class of 1994, and to that end, he has not disappointed.

He will say that the town of Jasper and the collective experiences growing up there afforded him a wonderful foundation and a springboard for life. One of those experiences was playing in the Pigeon Dove Tournament at Musgrove. “The Pigeon Dove was always a tournament I looked forward to every year. I felt like it was sort of ‘my tournament,’” Freeman said. “That’s when my competitiveness started. It was always my childhood goal to win that tournament. I won every age group from 10 and under, all the way to winning the tournament.”

Luckily, Matthew had plenty of older influences who would make an impact on him and help shape his interests. One was the aforementioned Hudson, whom Freeman idolized and looked up to on the golf course.

Another was his maternal grandfather, Eugene Bedford, affectionately known as “Papa,” who instilled in him a love and passion for Alabama football. Yet another was Dr. Gene Birdsong, who was an early mentor in the medical profession.

“Dr. Birdsong always let me shadow him

78 Magazine | 39

at DCH Medical Center. This, he says, was where the practical aspect of his medical training truly began.

“That’s when you become the doctor you are,” he says. “Medical school is a lot of studying, a lot of busy work. Residency is where you really learn your profession. You see hundreds of patients a week, you are up all night, you have a close bond with the people you are in residency with.”

and I felt like he was a good influence as well,” Freeman says.

There were many others who helped guide his faith. Pastors, youth ministers, and Sunday school teachers at First Baptist Church in Jasper, to name a few.

But the most profound influences on him were his parents, Dickie and Bettye Freeman-- “because I’d be nowhere without them,” he says.

One of those persons was Chad McElroy, a fellow participant in the Rural Medical program. Originally from Hatton, Alabama, McElroy became not only a friend to Freeman, but also a sounding board and someone he could depend on.

“Chad and I went through the Rural Scholars Program, 4 years of medical school together, 3 years of residency, we were on the same call team, and were at the hospital together pretty much every night on call,” Freeman said. “It was very important for me to have someone you could count on through all of that.”

Unlike others, Freeman did not always have a burning desire to become a doctor. Instead, it was a conscious decision based on a number of factors—not the least of which was the fact that his older brother, Beau, had been the trailblazer of his family into the medical field. Fortuitously for Matthew, Beau was completing his medical residency while Matthew was in undergraduate school at Alabama, and the two brothers were able to have meaningful conversations about the intricacies of med school. “Beau told me what it was like, so I had a kind of an inside scoop,” Freeman says. “I don’t know that I would have done it had it not been for that.”

The other major factor was that Matthew truly wanted a challenge, and med school provided it.

After completing the Rural Medical Scholars Program, a one-year intensive in Tuscaloosa, Freeman moved to Birmingham to begin the University of Alabama Medical School in 2000. Two years of rigorous academia later, he moved back to Tuscaloosa to finish school and eventually begin his residency

40 | 78 Magazine

(Top to Bottom) Freeman, his wife Regan, and Al Blanton in Arlington, TX; Photo clipping from the Daily Mountain Eagle; Freeman with his parents, Dickie and Bettye Freeman.

During this time, Freeman moonlighted at the After Hours Clinic in Jasper and at MedCenter in Northport. When he started his medical practice a couple years later, he returned to MedCenter, working in the fast paced environment of urgent care for a triumvirate of doctors – Dr. Posey, Dr. Lovely, and Dr. McGee – who would teach him a great deal and provide a perfect segue into being a working physician.

This experience did two things: it helped him to get his feet wet in the profession and gave him a deeper appreciation of the hard work and

energy that goes into the urgent care environment.

“So when people say ‘doc in a box,’ I quickly correct them,” Freeman says. “That’s a very difficult job.”

Ultimately, Matthew wanted to get away from urgent care and open up his own internal medicine practice, and in 2008, he got the opportunity to do just that when he moved to Prattville, Alabama, to practice alongside his brother, Beau. And it’s where he’s been for the last 12 years.

He says that living in Prattville—largely a commuter town—has given him the opportunity to meet a melting pot of people. “People in Prattville are really nice,” he says. “There are a lot of colorful characters who have different perspectives and different viewpoints. I’ve had patients from all over the country, which has been really interesting.”

Despite the fact that he’s lived in Prattville for the majority of his working life and has built up a medical practice there, he still considers Jasper home and describes it with nostalgic adoration. He makes time to visit his parents, and doesn’t rule out the possibility of spending more time in his hometown in the future. “No matter where I ever live, when anybody asks me where I’m from, I always say I’m from Jasper. That’s my home. That will always be my home,” he says. “It was a wonderful place to grow up. I think the schools we went to were great and the people in my class were great. I loved Park School. It was a great place to go to elementary school and there are not many places like that on earth. I think about the teachers at Park, I think about playing basketball at Maddox Middle School. I think about Park & Rec basketball, playing golf at Musgrove, Travis, all the characters at Musgrove Country Club and all the funny people. It was almost like a version of Caddyshack out there. As I got older, the lake and the times I had out there. It was just a perfect size town for me to grow up in, for my personality.”

Though the journey has not been always straight, Freeman doesn’t forget the navigator. “I don’t think there is any question that God has led me down the path of my life,” he says. “He has blessed me with the ability to learn, a good mind, a lot of great friends. It’s unbelievable. I know that He has done that for me. The ability to think and accomplish things—He gave that to me, and I know

42 | 78 Magazine

that. Every ability that I have, He’s given me all of that.

He’s blessed me with so many things that it’s really unbelievable.”

From competing in the Pigeon Dove to playing at different courses around Alabama, golf has always been his hobby, the sport he loved since he was a kid. It has allowed him to meet a lot of great people and spend time at a place that he considers his favorite course and a place he still loves going back to. “There’s something about it, it brings back my childhood and that’s what I love about it,” he says about Musgrove.

He will be the first to admit his golf game suffered during medical school and residency, but he’s been able to get back on track in the last few years. “I do still have some good rounds from time to time,” he says.

Through everything, Freeman has ultimately learned that the game of golf is kind of like life: you may have a bad round, but you never stop playing to win. 78

44 | 78 Magazine

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46 | 78 Magazine

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The Diligent, Dynamic Doctor Pediatrician Dr. Patrick Hyland is remembered as a kind, intelligent, and extremely active man Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Blakeney Clouse & Cassie Whittemore Linda Burns has a cartoon in her home of the Road Runner, racing at supersonic speeds down the highway, labeled “Dr. Hyland”. A stethoscope draped around his neck flaps in the wind, which reminds her of her late husband, Dr. Patrick Hyland.

at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

In 1979, he met Linda, then a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital. They were married two years later.

Patrick Anthony Hyland was born in 1953 in Mobile, Alabama. A lifelong Catholic, he attended Little Flower Catholic School and graduated from McGill Institute in 1971.

In 1982, the Hylands moved to Grove Hill, a small town in Clarke County, where he honed his intuitive skills as much as his medical skills. Hyland’s experiences there enabled him to discern the gravity of a situation and know when a child needed to be hospitalized. “He had limited resources,” Linda recalls. He had to use all his senses and think, ‘Looking at these symptoms, what might be going on if I can’t test?’ He was pretty good about that. He had that sixth sense.”

Hyland became interested in pediatrics while working summers at a Mobile daycare center, through an organization called La Casa de los Amigos. After graduating summa cum laude from Spring Hill College, he attended medical school

In 1984, Hyland joined a colleague, Dr. Richard Dabbs, at the Jackson Clinic in Jasper. The clinic closed that same year and the duo opened their own pediatric practice in 1985. “They made a successful team and complimented

“He had a lot of energy. He was very regimented, very busy,” Linda says.

each other in a long standing practice,” Linda says.

If ever a pediatrician was suited for the job, it was Dr. Hyland. With a youthful exuberance, an endless supply of energy, and a love of children, he reveled in his work, always prepared to leave within minutes when called to a C-section.

“He always had something in the closet—scrubs, etc., ready to go,” Linda says. “That was his happy place, taking care of babies.”

Gifted with a high intellect, Hyland also had a compassionate heart. “He had patients where the mother was as sick as the child,” Linda explains. “He would always make sure the parent was also taken care of.’”

In 1991, the Hyland’s welcomed their only daughter, Kathleen, on whom he doted. In his off time, Hyland remained active: he loved to sing and served as cantor at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church. He sang at his daughter’s wedding, writing witty lyrics appropriate to Kathleen and her husband,

Jack. He taught religion classes and gardened at the church and at home. His biggest passion, however, was cooking, particularly French and Cajun food.

It seemed nothing could slow him down, even a cancerous sarcoma tumor in 2012. For 30 days, Hyland underwent radiation at UAB. He always the first patient of the day—but he never took off from work.

“The first day, I went with him,” Linda recalls. “He said, ‘I need to do this by myself.’ On his way home from treatment he’d get a biscuit and start his workday.”

On Thanksgiving Day in 2018, Hyland pulled weeds at the church. The next day he experienced back pain. By Monday, he struggled to walk. He learned that his L-5 vertebrae had deteriorated from radiation.

Following a post-surgery spinal leak and a pulmonary embolism, he spent 30 days in intensive care. The last week of his life, Linda never left his side and Kathleen was there as often as possible.

He watched his health decline, painfully aware he was on borrowed time. “He had to live with the cancer and knew it was progressively getting worse. He knew what the tests looked like and how dire things were,” Linda said.

On Saturday, January 26th, Hyland called his extended family to say goodbye.

On Sunday afternoon, he drifted peacefully into sleep with his family at his side.

His patients still regale Linda with stories of how Dr. Hyland helped their child, even saving their life. These are stories she always finds heartwarming, since Dr. Hyland was careful not to discuss patients with her.

“I didn’t know how many lives he touched in Walker County,” Linda says.

May she continue to hear those stories for years to come. 78

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More than a Surgeon A glimpse into the journey and life of Dr. Dan Morris of Jasper Bone & Joint

Words by Justin Hunter Images by Blakeney Clouse

D

on’t expect to see Dan Morris zipping down the fairway at the local golf course or yanking a bass out of a lake anytime soon. That is, unless his kids and wife are involved.

Morris, D.O., is an orthopedic surgeon who thrives on solving his patients’ pain problems and has dedicated his life to their wellbeing. More than a surgeon, he is a family man. Like a dinner napkin, his life is neatly folded into two principal areas of importance: family on the one side and work on the other.

“My wife, Paige, and I were just talking about that I don’t have any hobbies like fishing or playing golf,” said Morris. “When I’m not in the office, I’m spending as much time as possible with our four kids. We have picked up riding bikes together. The reason I come to work is really to take care of them.”

52 | 78 Magazine

Fellowship-trained in sports medicine and arthroscopy with specialized training in minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, fracture care, and general orthopedics, Dr. Morris has spent the last 10 years in operating rooms helping men and women regain their mobility. He is in his element underneath the bright lights of the surgical table.

Morris’s journey into the medical field is one of saying “yes” to self-discovery and a willingness to go through each open door presented to him. His parents never pressured him to become anything but allowed him to develop in his own timing. The father of four is taking the same approach with his children.

“I’m not going to push my kids to be what I am. A couple of my boys ask to see pictures of surgery, while my other son refuses to look at them. My daughter isn’t interested at her age,” he says.

Morris didn’t have a childhood dream of becoming a doctor or a surgeon, nor was it a career he had planned after graduating from high school. There was no grandiose life plan written out in a journal hidden under his pillow. Morris had something more valuable: his parents’ support.

“My parents told me, ‘You do what you want to do, just do it right,’” he says.

After high school, Morris attended Auburn University, where he later met his wife, Paige.

Because he excelled in science, he obtained two undergraduate degrees from Auburn: one in zoology and one in microbiology.

After graduation, Morris tried his hand at teaching, but was turned off by the politics within the educational system.

He eventually closed the door to education.

Inspired by his parents and his wife, all of whom were nurses, Morris applied for and was accepted into medical school at Touro University in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. At the time, he was working on his master’s in education and was a semester shy of finishing when the couple moved west. In Henderson, Paige supported the family by serving as a registered nurse.

“Once I got into medical school, I still didn’t know what I wanted to be exactly,” he admits. “I thought maybe an oncologist. I wanted to make people better and see them feel better. However, I was not too fond of how medicine affected people. I opted for surgery.”

A series of events led Morris in the direction of orthopedics.

First, while in medical school, Morris tore his ACL and was operated on by Dr. Han at a place called Parkway Surgery Center. While in recovery, Morris inquired about potential job openings at the medical center for Paige.

“I took a position as a nurse at the Surgery center and was introduced to Dr. Yi who also operated there,” Paige says. “Danny ended up shadowing Yi and wanting to go into orthopedics.”

The satisfaction and enjoyment Yi demonstrated in the course of his job had inspired Morris, who now had a definite plan for his future.

Morris completed an orthopedic residency program at Michigan State University, where he was named Orthopedic Chief Resident of the Year in 2016. He then finished his Sports Medicine Fellowship at the prestigious Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia.

He returned to Alabama in part because his wife’s family is from Troy, Alabama. He has worked as an affiliate with Walker Baptist Medical Center for the last three years, and in 2019, he opened his practice, Jasper Bone & Joint Orthopedics, to better serve Jasper and the surrounding counties.

“Since starting my practice in 2019, the medical community has supported me so much that I was able to get going from the first month, and I have been building since then,” he says. “There is no better feeling than being able to fix somebody’s problem and get rid of their pain. I love seeing patients respond positively to treatment and seeing them get better is the most fun.”

As important as the practice is to Morris, he understands the importance of life balance and the lasting impact of being a present father and husband.

Perhaps through his experiences he’s learned that family is the most important hobby of all. 78

In our society we have witnessed many changes, but one thing we would like to assure you is that Ridgeview and Ridgewood are founded upon resident care. It has been a part of our family tradition for almost 42 years. In fact, it is the mission statement to help each resident have the best quality of life we can provide. We are committed and dedicated to give our best to each resident every day.

We want to work closely with our residents and their families to ensure that all have the best healthcare and receive the compassion that we want all of our staff to show our residents. We pride ourselves in having the best staff possible and provide a consistent reminder to them that “skills can be taught but compassion has to be given from the heart of one serving”.

We pledge to you our full support in making you and your family a part of our extended family.

With our love,

The Kelley Family

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” – Psalm 92:12-14

78 | Photo Essays

D

r. Alan McCool leans back in his office chair at Walker Baptist hospital, head slightly cocked to one side and arms folded across his chest. He is wearing his white lab coat and his words frequently erupt in rapid bursts as he reminisces about his years of practicing medicine in the Wiregrass region of south Alabama.

“I took care of tons of peanut farmers – just great guys,” Dr. McCool says.

Originally from Gadsden, Alabama, Dr. McCool “just kind of fell in love” with urology as a UAB student while working with a couple of physicians. “Those were just good guys, funny guys,” he says. “They were a different breed.”

After completing his residency at Indiana University, Dr. McCool practiced at Flowers Hospital and Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan for eight years before partnering with Dr. Brian Stone at Walker Baptist Medical Center in 2014. Dr. McCool is a general urologist who treats all urologic disorders with special interest in robotics, oncology, and the surgical correction of male and female incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Dr. McCool says he enjoys the surgical aspect of urology, particularly the variety of surgical procedures performed. “In a given day, I might perform a minimallyinvasive endoscopic stone procedure, a laparoscopicassisted robot procedure, and an open-cancer operation,” he says.

dr. alan mccool

general urologist, walker baptist medical center Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Blakeney Clouse

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The medical landscape has changed dramatically in the last several decades as technology has become more advanced. In 2003, Dr. McCool assisted with one of the first robotic cases in the Midwest. This procedure was a prostate cancer operation that took eight hours. Now, because of improvement in technology and physician experience, that same procedure can be performed in two hours.

Dr. McCool wants patients to know Walker Baptist’s surgical department offers the most up-to-date robotic technology available at the hospital. Because of this technology, post-operative pain and hospital length of stay have decreased dramatically. He believes for a hospital the size of Walker Baptist, the surgical department can compete with any hospital in the country.

Now in his sixth year in Jasper, Dr. McCool says he really loves his patients in Walker County. Much like his former patients in the Wiregrass, they seem to have a genuine sense of trust in their doctor and an attitude of “whatever you think, doc.” 78

jerrod walker physical therapist, rehab south Words by Justin Hunter Image by Blakeney Clouse

M

ost of us can recall where we were and what we were doing on September 11, 2001. Jerrod Walker, a physical therapist at Rehab South, remembers that he had just started at the clinic that year.

“I was standing right over there watching the TV when it happened,” Walker says, motioning to the clinic’s rehabilitation area. “It’s a day you’ll never forget.”

Walker grew up in Brilliant, Alabama, a small town in Marion County where almost every kid is a multi-sport athlete out of necessity. “When you grow up going to a small school, if you play one sport, you usually play them all,” he says. “My initial interest in physical therapy came from participating in sports and being around sports injuries. I played the ‘big three’ through high school: baseball, football, and basketball.”

Walker obtained his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of South Alabama. He has spent most of his career at Rehab South after working at a clinic in Cullman.

For nearly two decades, Walker has helped patients get their lives and mobility back. One of those hundreds of

individuals was his mother after she was involved in a severe car accident. She suffered a broken back and doctors had to amputate her leg. Walker worked with her through her rehabilitation and helped her regain her independence. He says he finds great joy in seeing patients overcome injuries, no matter how minor or severe.

“If you’d asked me my favorite part of the job when I was young, I would have said working with athletes because that is what got me into physical therapy,” Walker says. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate working with middleaged people, older people, and children. Maybe it’s because I can relate with the middle-aged man who hurt his back cutting the lawn or strained his shoulder playing basketball with his kids.”

Nineteen years have passed since 9/11 and Walker’s first days at Rehab South. All of these years later, he continues to find joy coming into the office because of the practice’s positive impact on the community. “At Rehab South, we want to help people, make sure they have a good rehabilitation experience and have made improvements,” Walker said.

“You get a lot of fulfillment seeing people get better.” 78

sandy prescott

administrator, lakewood senior living Words by Erin Shockey Image by Blakeney Clouse

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any of us are guilty of this: we live our lives, overlooking the brevity of life while years pass expeditiously under our noses, until one day we look up to find our golden years on the horizon. The question many ask in this stage of life is, “What’s next?” For every resident who walks through the doors of Lakewood Senior Living in Jasper, the answer to that question is that they are given a second chance at living life to the fullest.

Providing Lakewood residents with the quality of life they deserve is possible because of Lakewood’s caring staff. One administrative staff member, Sandy Prescott, brought her expertise and passion to Lakewood three years ago after serving as a nursing home administrator for 35 years.

“Really and truly my story is the people I serve,” says Sandy.

“I feel like I am an accumulation of all the wonderful people I have served, the people I work beside, and the families I’ve come to know. They have made me who I am today.”

For Sandy, the most rewarding part of her job is watching residents “come back to life” at Lakewood. The staff’s structure and routine help improve residents’ mental acuity.

“Most people, as they age, become isolated because they

58 | 78 Magazine

can’t do the things they used to,” Sandy says. “At Lakewood, we catch residents in the in-between where they still have their independence.”

All residents live independently in their own apartments but have access to the Lakewood staff 24/7 when needed. Residents come and go as they please while enjoying delicious meals, regular activities, and a loving community.

Lakewood’s full-time activities coordinator plans daily activities for the residents to participate in—bingo, cornhole and board games are among their favorites. These activities provide a crucial socialization aspect for residents and an enjoyable outlet for mental and physical exercise.

“Everything is driven by what our residents love. We want to nurture what they are passionate about,” Sandy shares. “If our residents did something before moving to Lakewood and it was enjoyable to them, we try to find a way for them to do it here.”

Local families in Walker County don’t have to look far to find assisted living for their loved ones where they are treated just like family. Where the answer to “What’s Next?” is found in people like Sandy Prescott. 78

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Enjoy all the good moments that come with the season. Your friends at Allstate wish you the best this holiday season and look forward to serving you in 2021.

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1811 Highway 78 E., Suite 106 Jasper, AL bryantbrooks@allstate.com

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May your holidays be joyful and bright.

bryan gill and marc davis: oral ceramic dental lab

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Blakeney Clouse

Y

ou could call them the Crown Princes of Jasper. You may never see them, but you’ve probably seen their work—in your bathroom mirror. That’s because Oral Ceramic Dental Lab co-owners Bryan Gill and Marc Davis are masters at creating crowns and building bridges.

Oral Ceramic Dental Lab, founded by Bryan’s dad, Bill Gill, in 1978, is a crown and bridge lab operating inside the Dental Arts Building on Highway 78 in Jasper. Bryan hadn’t planned to work in the business; instead, he studied at Faulkner University in Montgomery to become a teacher. When he decided teaching wasn’t for him, he came home to work with his dad in 2000.

Originally born in Jasper, Marc grew up in Wyandotte, Michigan. He’d heard through his brother, who had worked for Mr. Gill, that the lab was hiring. So when he got out of the military in 1982, he applied for a job.

“When I walked in the lab, I didn’t know anything about it,” Marc says, “but I picked it up really fast.”

Bryan and Marc took over the lab—which only services dentists—after Mr. Gill passed away in 2002. Each man has a different role to play, but together they operate like a well-oiled machine. Once Bryan gets everything ready, Marc, the main technician, designs and finishes the crown or bridge, a process that takes about two weeks. Both agree it’s not a job everyone can do.

“Few people can walk in these doors and in five years be able to do it. I’m still trying to get to the point where I can do what he can do,” Bryan says. “You need mechanical and artistic ability. You need the eye to do it.”

“It takes years to learn how to do it,” Marc adds. “If you get somebody off the street to do just the plaster work, it will take me six months to teach them to do that.”

Despite the long learning curve, both men say they enjoy the work and seeing the final product. You may never see them but it’s a safe bet that if you look in the mirror and see a beautiful smile, you can thank Bryan Gill and Marc Davis, the Crown Princes of Jasper. 78

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We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a joyful 2021!

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halie savage

speech language pathologist, hyche center Words by Suzie Walton | Image by Blakeney Clouse

H

alie Savage considers herself a natural caregiver with a heart to serve people. She believes this love for people and caring for those in need truly developed at age 13, when she began helping her grandmother take care of her grandfather and greatgrandmother. Both of these individuals in her inner circle suffered from Alzheimer’s and were eventually bedridden.

“For about five years, I helped my grandmother every weekend take care of them,” she smiles. “And I found such joy in that.”

Halie believed nursing was her calling and pursued that path after graduating from Fayette County High School and Bevill State Community College.

However, during a clinical observation at Mississippi University for Women (MUW), she accepted the fact that nursing was not for her. “I was shadowing during clinicals and something was missing. It just didn’t feel right, like nursing was not what God was calling me to do,” she explains.

While volunteering for a leadership program working with kids at an on-campus daycare, a friend suggested Halie observe a speech pathologist. “My life and my major changed that day,” she laughs. “I didn’t even know speech pathology was a thing. But when I observed the therapist help the patient to find his voice and communicate, I knew I wanted to be a part of that blessing— helping others.”

As a speech language pathologist at the Hyche Center in Jasper, Halie works in a pediatric setting. “I work with children ranging in age from one year to 17 years, treating various disorders with speech,” she says.

She explains that of the various options available, she chose pediatric because of her love for children and the reward of seeing them excel and find their voice.

“One of the most precious times was when I had been working with an autistic child for a while trying to bridge the gap between nonverbal and verbal communication,” she remembers.

“We had tried so many strategies, but it wasn’t until I suggested the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device that we had a breakthrough. The excitement on his face touched my heart—he had finally found his voice.”

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At MUW, Halie found her calling and is now using that gift at the Hyche Center to help children find their voice. 78

emma crumpton

physical therapist, therapysouth Words by Suzie Walton | Image by Blakeney Clouse

W

hen things are not going well, people come to see Emma Crumpton. She listens to their stories, offering hope in the struggle, and she will emphatically tell you that God has her right where she is supposed to be.

“This is not just a career; it is a calling on my life,” Emma says.

“And when you walk into TherapySouth, it’s easy to see Emma’s brilliant smile and warm personality immediately calm the anxiety of her patients.

After finishing PT school, this Albertville native moved to Jasper in the spring of 2018, when her husband, Clint, accepted a teaching/coaching position at Jasper High School.

As a local physical therapist certified in dry needling and pelvic health dysfunctions, Emma has developed a reputation as a caregiver. Her patients trust her. Today as she works, her patient calmly shares her day’s adventures, pausing only to say, “That feels so much better.”

“Every day is different, every patient is at a different stage in recovery so there is no monotony,” Emma says. “Almost always I’m seeing patients at one of their most vulnerable times and I have to

earn their trust.”

That trust is vital to her patients’ success and she knows it. After all, Emma has been on the other side. She never considered herself a movement expert when she was contemplating college majors in the medical field­—“I thought I might become a vet because I love animals or a nurse like my mom,” Emma explains—however, a competition in high school, albeit with a painful result, enlightened her.

“I was in show choir and dance in high school when I got a minor knee injury,” she recalls.

During a dance competition Emma tore her meniscus in her left knee and was forced to take a six-week hiatus from dance to rehab the knee. While in the rehabbing stint, Emma fell in love with physical therapy and eventually chose Samford University for her undergraduate studies. “It was a lot of hard work to graduate from Samford, but it is my calling,” she says.

The motto for the Samford PT program is from 1 Peter 4:10.

Emma lives that for her patients daily to “Use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithful stewards of God’s grace.” 78

frances stephens nursing student, bscc

Words by Justin Hunter | Image by Blakeney Clouse

“

But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry, I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” – Acts 20:24.

When Frances Stephens was a young girl, her grandmother gave her a little angel heart locket. Within the locket was a tiny scroll where an individual could write out a prayer or goal, so the message could always be close to the chest.

“I wrote to find out what God has called me to do,” Frances says.

The night Frances discovered her calling was to be an OB/GYN nurse practitioner, she phoned her grandmother and said, “I found it.”

Previously, Frances had been undecided on what field to enter, but two experiences helped seal her decision. One was an inspirational lecture by her obstetrics professor at Bevill State Community College, Amanda Sourvelis, and the other was starting OB rounds at Walker Baptist Medical Center.

As a result, God put a fire in Stephens’ heart for women’s health. She is now a huge proponent of patient education and for women to learn more about their bodies. She wants

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to help dispel the fear that many women associate with healthcare.

“I love those moments of bonding in women’s health,” Frances says, “like in the first moments of a mom meeting her baby for the first time, seeing a baby breathe for the first time, or being there to comfort moms when something is wrong.”

Her nursing journey actually began in 2012 when she was in the eighth grade. Her little sister, Caroline, who was eight years old at the time, was diagnosed with pediatric Chrohn’s disease, and Frances helped take care of her by changing her dressing and hooking up food tubing to the PICC line in her arm. Nine years later, Caroline is doing great and Frances is set to graduate from the nursing program at BSCC. It will be a manifested answer of a childhood prayer, the culmination of hard work, and the first significant step toward becoming an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner.

Frances sums up her calling thusly: “When I look at my patients, I see each of them as children of God. They are daughters, sisters, aunties, uncles, fathers, mothers, and sons.

Each is a spiritual being with a permanent existence, and I’m taking care of their temporary earthly body. And so, my little bitty part is to help them get whole.” 78

kristy mauldin

administrator, comfort care hospice Words by Justin Hunter Image by Blakeney Clouse

K

risty Mauldin still owns a miniature train set her mother once purchased from Woolworth’s five-anddime store in downtown Jasper. Today, Kristy’s office is located in that same building.

“This is my dream job for so many reasons,” says Kristy, who serves as the Administrator for Comfort Care Hospice in Jasper.

Admittedly, one of those reasons is the physical building in which Comfort Care is located. Decades before the hospice company moved into 319 19st Street West, Woolworth’s served the citizens of Walker County. Now Kristy and her compassionate team buzz around the second floor of the historic structure, ready to offer premium care for those who come under their wing.

“I told my boss, the COO, that the Jasper office needed to be in this building,” she says. “I just begged and begged her, once I knew the lease on the old office was coming up. I need to be here because of the personal memories and what the store meant to Walker County and Jasper. Getting into this building, I could not be happier.”

But it’s not just about the building; Kristy takes her job—and those who come under her and her staff’s care— seriously.

A Parrish High School graduate, Mauldin attended Walker College before transferring to the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) to obtain her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Her journey into the medical field began while working as a transporter, wheeling patients from their beds to anywhere in Walker Baptist Hospital. “A light bulb went off around 1992, and I decided I wanted to be a nurse,” Mauldin says. “It was actually through a scholarship through Walker Baptist where I agreed to work for two years. It’s how I paid

for a bachelor’s degree.”

Mauldin worked as an in-between nurse for both Walker Baptist and Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham from 1995-2007. She had young children at the time and wanted to do something new. Her interaction with hospice nurses over the years inspired her to get out of her comfort zone.

In 2007, Mauldin began working as a nurse at Comfort Care Home Health before shifting over to hospice in 2013. She says she made the switch to hospice out of holy jealousy—the desire to do more for patients.

“It’s a huge honor and a huge responsibility because you are one of the last people to be with someone before they pass,” Mauldin says. “I genuinely love my staff because they care about each patient.” 78

tracy spain

dental hygienist, bivona family dentistry Words by Justin Hunter Image by Blakeney Clouse

H

ave you ever taken a moment to consider the value of the mouth to the human experience?

“The mouth is very important. It is the place where we take our first and last breath,” says Tracy Spain, dental hygienist at Bivona Family Dentistry in Jasper.

Spain has spent nearly 30 years peering into patients’ mouths all over Walker and Jefferson counties. The Walker County native understands the power of a smile or eating a good meal without tooth pain. “I love my patients,” Spain says. “I get so much joy out of making each patient feel better. I have had patients become tearful in the chair because they are getting to smile in pictures, and they haven’t smiled in years.”

Spain says she “stumbled” into dentistry in the early 1990s.

What began as a part-time receptionist position for an oral surgeon snowballed into a satisfying career as a dental hygienist.

Early on, her family thought she was destined to be in dentistry. “My grandfather gave me a small picture from when I was around three years old,” Spain says. “In the photo, he is brushing his teeth and I am pulled up to the sink. He said, ‘You know, I guess you were always into teeth because we never could brush our teeth when you were in here.’”

Spain began working in oral surgery in 1992, eventually transitioning to general dentistry, working with Dr. Vurl Baumann’s office as a dental assistant and schedule coordinator.

Dr. Baumann saw something special in Spain. In 2004, he paid for her to go through the hygienist program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She obtained her license in 2006 and spent the next 12 years as a traveling dental hygienist.

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During that time, Spain formed a circuit of dental practices between Jefferson and Walker Counties. When a hygienist needed someone to cover their shift because their child was sick, she was the person to call. She kept an incredibly detailed calendar mapping out where she would be each day.

“I thought, I’m ready to settle down and know where I am going each day,” she says. “Then, the Lord just put me in Dr. Bivona’s office. I love it there.”

In February 2021, it will be two years since Dr. Bivona recruited Spain to work full-time in his practice. Her love for patients keeps her coming to the office every day, and she can’t fathom a life without helping people smile. 78

COME SEE US TODAY! Dr. Jacob Bivona and Dr. Ansley Allen, along with 10 professional staff members are committed to providing quality dental care while make your next visit as pleasant as possible. To do this, we strive to honor your appointment time and finish in a timely manner so you can get on with your day! We are accepting new patients!

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Dr. Ike Baker General Surgery Walker Medical Diagnostics 205.221.4916 1446 Jones Dairy Road Suite 100 Jasper, AL 35501

Making the Best of Every Day The interesting and impactful life of Dr. Wade O’Mary Words by Mike Cordle | Image by Blakeney Clouse

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I

t’s 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning and Dr. Wade O’Mary pulls into the parking lot at his office. It’s been a painful weekend for his patients. Five are already waiting, as they are on many occasions.

Wade works from the same office where his father, Dr. Marcus O’Mary, established their practice in 1970. The O’Marys spent the first few years living in the office where he practiced—a building dating from 1910.

Dr. O’Mary’s day often begins at 8:00 a.m. but extends far after the closing 5:00 p.m. bell. His receptionist, Kylie Emberg, never turns patients away, even if they walk in at 4:55. Wade believes, “If you treat others the way you wish to be treated, and you are loyal to those who love and support you, and you live in faith, God will work in your life with best intentions for you.”

A graduate of Walker High School, Walker College, and Life University College of Chiropractic Medicine, Dr. O’Mary married Lisa Atkins from Carbon Hill—a recently retired 30year veteran with Jasper City Schools. They have two daughters: Anna Prevost, wife of Dr. Mark Prevost II; and Sarah Roberts, wife of Dr. Martin Roberts of Jasper.

“Truly, I have been blessed beyond measure,” Dr. O’Mary says. “I have many fond memories of growing up in Jasper. I have parents who loved us, provided for us and encouraged us. I’ve been privileged to know many great people from this area who have been very good to us and to this practice.”

A life-long member of First Baptist Church, Dr. O’Mary accepted Christ during the ministry of Dr. Walter G. Nunn and was baptized while

in the 5th grade. “Lots of fine people have been instrumental in my life,” he says. “Rev. Charles Powell (the community pastor), Winfred Sandlin, history professor at Walker College, Coach Fowler, Hershel Barton, and Judge Hugh Beaird are just a few I can name.”

Dr. O’Mary is no stranger to manual labor.

With the help of his dad, he has owned, remodeled, and restored his chiropractic office and two other homes. During the restoration project of their 9th Avenue home, Wade found an original Prince Edward tobacco can and a copy of The Birmingham News from the 1920s. “Restoring the home has allowed it to be preserved for generations to come and to serve as a home for our girls, who were 8 and 12 when we first moved there,” he says.

An avid hunter, Dr. O’Mary’s prized trophy is an eight-point buck of the 150 class. He says he enjoys hunting because of the solitude of being outside in nature. He is a history lover, preferring to study WWII and the dedication and sacrifices of the men and women of America during that time, including his great-uncles. “I probably developed an interest in the war from watching Hogan’s Heroes as a kid growing up,” he says. “Two of my favorite places in the U.S. are the WWII Museum in New Orleans and the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Everyone should visit those sites.”

Finally, Dr. O’Mary has a few words of advice for patients and readers alike. “Remember that the things you do in your youth, you pay for later in life. Be smart with your activities, limit stress, eat a reasonable diet and get exercise,” he says.

“Also, be happy with who you are and make the best of every day that the Lord has blessed you with.” 78

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From a college student at the University of Maryland to performing orthopedic surgery and serving the football team at Jasper High School, Dr. Jeffrey Cuomo has lived an interesting and abundant life. Now as he sets his eyes toward a new chapter, he won’t forget the town he fell in love with—and that fell in love with him.

Words and Images by Al Blanton

S

erendipity brought Lenny and Jeffrey together on an elevator at the Student Union in College Park, Maryland.

performing surgery on patients with a litany of orthopedic issues.

They were two young college students—one black, one white—in the prime of their lives, both staring down a bright future. Lenny would eventually be drafted by the Boston Celtics as the #1 pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, and Jeffrey would go on to medical school and spend half a lifetime

An engineering student at the time, Jeffrey had seen Lenny on many occasions at the Student Union, and while he had never met him, he noted how friendly the University of Maryland basketball star was to everyone he met. Now he was face-to-face with the 6-foot-8 rim-rocker.

76 | 78 Magazine

“What’s up, Shorty?” Lenny said as he stepped onto the elevator.

great shape, Salvatore Cuomo had a sudden heart attack and passed away unexpectedly.

Holy crap, Jeffrey thought to himself. I just met Len Bias.

Reeling from this event, Jeffrey accepted a fellowship at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore where he could be closer to his grieving mother. There, he focused on sports medicine and arthroscopy. He had become intrigued with the discipline after he blew out his ACL while snow skiing in college.

That was 1985. Thirty-five years later, Dr. Jeffrey Cuomo reflects on his meeting with the Terrapins’ superstar, one whose life was tragically cut short by a cocaine overdose just prior to his highly anticipated pro career.

“He was a super nice guy,” Cuomo says.

“He was always very friendly. He would say ‘hi’ to everybody. But everybody was ‘shorty.’”

Before attending Maryland, Cuomo grew up in nearby Ellicott City, which was at the time a slow-moving suburb of the D.C./ Baltimore area. “My cousins used to tease us,” Cuomo says, “that we would be knocking over cows on our way home.”

Though Cuomo grew up in rural America, that experience did not deter him from pursuing the American Dream. After graduating from the University of MarylandCollege Park, he moved to Philadelphia to attend medical school at Hahnemann School of Medicine (now Drexel School of Medicine).

While in Philadelphia, Cuomo drank in the frills of the big city: he attended Eagles’ games at Veterans Memorial Stadium, he ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and had his picture made by the Rocky statue, and he watched university crew races on Saturdays with his med school buddies.

He also loved to sample the wide variety of cuisine that the City of Brotherly Love had to offer.

“Of course you can’t forget Geno’s and Pat’s,” he reminisces. “And the cheesesteak places were pretty awesome.”

After his time in Philly, Cuomo did his residency at Tulane University in New Orleans. He was well on track to become an orthopedic surgeon when tragedy struck.

“Between my senior year of residency and fellowship, I lost my dad,” he says.

Seemingly in the prime of his life and in

After a few years, Cuomo and another doctor launched a private practice in Salisbury, Maryland, on the eastern shore, in close proximity to where he used to spend summers.

Cuomo worked in a Level 2 trauma center for 8 years. It was a busy two-man operation and he was constantly on call. As the workload continued to grow, he and his partner tossed around the idea of bringing in a third team member to offset the onerous requirements of the trauma practice. When the two men couldn’t seem to get on the same page, Cuomo, increasingly frustrated and burned out, began looking for other options.

Soon a small orthopedic practice in Jasper, Alabama, came into view.

While scouring the Internet for potential jobs, Kimberly Cuomo, Jeffrey’s wife, noticed that Southern Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Associates (SOSA) was looking to bring in another surgeon to its already robust orthopedic practice. “I had always been a closet Alabama fan and followed Alabama football, so my wife was like ‘what place would be better to go?’” Cuomo recalls. “We could work in Alabama and get to go the Alabama football games!”

Eventually, Cuomo flew to Jasper for an interview.

Sherrie Pike, who works as an administrator at SOSA, remembers the first time she met Cuomo at the airport. “I am there with my sign—his name neatly written—waiting at the bottom of the escalators, and I am expecting this typical doctor, probably wearing a shirt and tie,” Sherrie remembered. “To my surprise, I see

this Italian fella sporting a Baltimore Ravens football jersey.

We never looked back.”

Though Cuomo’s primary job was seeing patients and performing surgery at the clinic, his secondary responsibility was serving as the team orthopedist for the Walker Viking (now Jasper Viking) football team. Since Cuomo’s three daughters were all students in the Jasper City school system, this dynamic provided a perfect segue into working with the team.

Over the years, Cuomo was a sideline fixture at both home and away games, traveling to dozens of stadiums on Friday nights with his beloved Vikings. “I loved working with the football team,” Cuomo says. “I really enjoyed spending time with the kids. I really enjoyed spending time and getting to know [athletic trainer] Bob [White]. I think he’s a phenomenal guy. He’s just a wealth of information. I just

78 | 78 Magazine

enjoyed hanging out with him on the sidelines.”

Now Cuomo is poised to turn the page to the newest chapter of his life. He and Kim recently moved to Tuscaloosa to be closer to his daughters, Madison, Amanda, and Anna. He accepted a job at Tuscaloosa Orthopedics and Joint Institute, where he will pair with Dr. Brian King, a joint surgeon who has both a medical degree and a Ph.D. Though he is now a few miles up the road, Cuomo will always look back on his time in Jasper fondly. And even though he has a new gig and he’s closer to his favorite college football team, he hopes that Jasper won’t grow too distant. After all, it’s where he’s invested the last 11 years of his life.

“When Kim and I came here, we really felt like we’d found a diamond in the rough,” Cuomo said. “We loved the small town feel and the people were just wonderful. Jasper really is a treasure and we were so pleased to make it our home.” 78

78 | Faith

Which begs the question: What do we do with that dichotomy?

It’s often a matter of looking at things through a different lens, in this case the lens of the Gospel of Mark. Chapter 2 records Jesus’ dramatic healing of a paralyzed man. The crippled man—lying helpless on a mat—enters the scene, and he leaves walking and jumping.

Because of the spectacular nature of the physical healing, it’s rather easy to miss the most important healing of all—the spiritual healing, the healing of the man’s paralyzed soul— which, by carefully examining Jesus’ words and actions, is of much greater significance.

Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

That was Jesus’ first priority, to take care of that which was of the utmost importance—the forgiveness of sins. The reasoning of Jesus? “What good is a perfectly healthy physical body if the soul is bound with the humanly incurable paralysis of sin?” On a scale of what matters most to God, the restoration of the soul rises to the pinnacle.

Peace Amidst the Pestilence The world changed on March 16, 2020.

In almost every conceivable way, “normal life”, as we had known it, was upended. An invisible pestilence had traveled halfway around the globe and was infecting people in ever larger, more rapidly frightening numbers.

Panic! Panic closures. Panic buying. Panic isolation. Panic testing. Panic of the known and of the unknown, morphed into a paroxysm of fear that resulted in a kind of national paralysis.

Over the balance of the year since, scores of people have been stricken with the virus that is “no respecter of persons.” Copious prayers have been offered for the sick, especially for those who’ve been hospitalized. A majority of those prayed for have returned home to their loved ones. A few have succumbed to the illness and died. Some prayers answered. Some not.

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It’s an interesting thing to note that Jesus “only” healed the man’s physical paralysis to demonstrate that He did in fact have the authority to forgive sins—to reclaim and restore the man’s damaged soul—thus proving His absolute authenticity as our Messiah.

You may be thinking, “What’s the point?” This: even when it seems that Jesus hasn’t answered our prayers (because someone we love has died from sickness, etc.), the great love and care of Jesus is one hundred percent effective against the deadliest disease of all—sin.

So, here’s the really, really Good News among all the bad news: Jesus, the Prince of Peace, stands amidst the pestilence of soul-wrecking sin, and our Great Physician heals everyone— every single one—who cries out to Him for relief from their inner paralysis. In turn, He gives them life for death, peace for fear, and joy for sadness.

No, in spite of a great volume of prayers, our physical bodies may not get healed, but one simple request is all it takes to receive the most important healing of all—Salvation, the healing of our souls. And that, my brothers and sisters, is worth celebrating!

greg

A fellow beggar along the Way.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Brings Expertise to Alabama Communities

W

hen you think of the state of Alabama, what initially comes to mind? Maybe it is the state’s beautiful landscapes, numerous SEC championships, or tried and true Southern cuisine. While there are many notable qualities of the Yellowhammer State such as these, there’s much more that Alabamians can be proud of.

One is the initiative taking place through the internationallyrenowned medical center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, or UAB. Specifically, the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery is leading a revitalizing initiative throughout the state by providing care and support for patients and providers in some of Alabama’s rural communities.

UAB’s Director of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Greg Kennedy, M.D., Ph.D., believes that UAB has a responsibility to Alabama as national leaders in surgery to help providers care for patients throughout the state. By developing a relationship with rural communities as part of this initiative, the Division is able to provide regular surgical care in those communities because of the dedication of their full-time surgeons on staff.

“Our passion and mission is to help the people of Alabama in any way we can,” Dr. Kennedy says. “Some of that involves going into the community and providing education and care, while in other cases it is having patients with very complex issues come to us.”

Full-time surgeons from the Division’s staff are sent weekly to communities such as Demopolis, Greenville, and Alexander City to see patients and operate when needed. These prestigious UAB surgeons take time away from their families and practice to care for patients in these communities and provide support to rural hospitals and local providers.

Near to Walker County, two clinics in Gardendale offer primary care and a variety of specialty care for patients. UAB’s Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery has expressed a commitment to helping Walker County physicians provide the necessary care to local patients.

“We want to be available to partner with the providers in Walker County, so that when they need a colleague’s opinion on a difficult case or if patients require specialized care, they know UAB is here to help and support them,” says Dr. Kennedy. “Our clinics in Gardendale have helped us become more easily accessible to those patents so that they don’t have to always come to the city of Birmingham; instead, they can just come see us in Gardendale.”

Dr. Kennedy visits the Gardendale clinic every other week to hold a colorectal surgery clinic, while his partner holds a general surgery clinic every week. The Division cannot perform surgeries in the clinics, but patients still benefit from seeing UAB doctors in person without traveling to Birmingham.

According to Dr. Kennedy, one of the greatest fallacies of surgery is the idea that surgeons have no relationship with their patients. In actuality, meeting and establishing a relationship with patients is one of the greatest parts of the job for many UAB surgeons.

“Oftentimes, I meet patients at the worst times in their life, when they have a new diagnosis of colon cancer,” says Dr. Kennedy. “After only 15 minutes, patients put their trust in me to take out their cancer, which is amazing to me. My relationship with my patients tends to be a deep connection because of the way they trust me. That is why I do what I do.”

During a time when COVID-19 has delayed some medical care, surgeons from UAB still travel to ensure patients’ needs are met. The staff takes necessary precautions, especially when treating patients with higher comorbidities. Many patients don’t want to leave their house, their counties, and their families to receive care, so UAB is proud to relieve that burden by bringing its expertise to these counties. Most of all, Walker County patients will have greater accessibility to expert care because of UAB’s commitment to serve our great state. 78

For more information about the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery at UAB, please visit uabmedicine.org Words by Erin Shockey | Image courtesy UAB Medicine.

78 | Education

Former Paralyzed Bevill State Community College Nursing Student Overcomes Wheelchair to Serve Others Words by Terrell Manasco | Images courtesy Stacy Johnson In 2018, Stacy Johnson walked across the stage of Bevill State Community College and accepted her nursing diploma. That may not sound remarkable—except that Stacy had spent the previous five years in a wheelchair.

Raised in Dawsonville, Georgia, Stacy is no stranger to adversity.

At 13 years old, she witnessed her sister’s brutal murder and her brother-in-law’s suicide. While Stacy and her husband, Kerry, lived in Gulf Shores, where she was studying to become a culinary chef, she began experiencing numbness in her feet and loss of balance. Initially, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. The doctor told her she would be dead within weeks.

“In two months, my whole life shattered,” Stacy says.

Tests ruled out GB, but the true cause remained a mystery. The Johnsons moved to Walker County, where Kerry had family. After numerous attempts to find help, they spoke with UAB neurologist Dr. David Standaert, who initially suspected Stacy had multiple sclerosis. When tests ruled out MS, she was later diagnosed with neurotransmitter receptor paraplegia, a rare disorder which affects the body’s signals to the brain.

When Stacy eventually became paralyzed in 2012, Kerry left his job to care for her. For a while, they lived on donations, food stamps, and $720 a month—with three children. “I watched my kids do without Christmas, birthday presents, and lunch money for four years,” Stacy says. “We had to hunt and fish for food.”

After four years of living on pennies and prayers, Stacy decided

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to go back to school. Uncertain of what career to follow, she showed up to register at Bevill State in a wheelchair. “I got sick of seeing my kids do without,” she says.

Dr. Ben Wall suggested she pursue nursing, but Stacy wasn’t convinced she could do it until Dr. Stephanie Adair, Nursing Division Chair for the Jasper and Sumiton campuses, persuaded her to try.

Buoyed by Adair’s encouragement, Stacy enrolled in nursing school, vowing to walk across the stage at graduation. She soon discovered she was right about one thing—it wasn’t easy.

“I would stand up between the walls in the hallway and walk. I’d hang on to things and squat down and stand up,” she says.

Fueled by unrelenting determination, and with help from classmates, Stacy completed all her clinicals. When her class graduated in 2018, she rose from her wheelchair and walked across the stage.

After working at Brookwood Medical Center for two years, Stacy recently became a travel nurse and is in Kemmerer, Wyoming for a few weeks. She has been without a wheelchair for three years, though walking is difficult.

Stacy credits her Bevill State family—Dr. Ben Wall, Dr. Stephanie Adair, Monica Muncher, Karen Cottle, and Amanda Sourvelis—for her success.

“Bevill State is known for being the hardest nursing program in the state—and there’s a reason,” Stacy says. “Every one of those teachers puts their heart and soul into teaching their students. They make us the best nurses we can be.” 78

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AGENT SPOTLIGHT: Local Real Estate Agents Ina Harbison, Joseph Carter Realty Years Active: 3 Certifications: Associate Broker, Joseph Carter Realty Family: Husband, Ritchie; Daughter, Mia; Son, Chesley Phone: (205) 527-4710 | E-mail: inaharbison@gmail.com “I have been a teacher for the past 16 years here in our local community and I am very passionate about helping our community in any way that I can. Not too long ago, I took a chance on an additional career path to supplement my teaching career and quickly realized the gratification of being able to help families buy and sell their homes. I have been fortunate enough to see some of my past students and their families’ dreams come true!

I have now been in real estate for 3 years and have sold over $16 million in real estate. I have a team of buyer’s agents that work with me and I work for a great local company! Buying or selling, call me, Ina Harbison.”

Linda Ingram, ERA Byars Realty Years Active: 12 Certifications: Broker, Distinctive Properties Specialist Specialties: I specialize in residential, land, commercial and river, lake properties Family: One daughter, Brittany; son-in-law Drake. God has placed my nephew Jaxon in my care.

Phone: (205) 522-3675 | Email: lindaingram08@yahoo.com I love meeting new people and getting to be a small part in a big life event. I love seeing a first-time homeowner close on their first home. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. I love working with sellers to get their home sold so they can begin their new chapter. I always work hard for my buyers and sellers.”

Rhonda Burtram Dailey, All Four Real Estate Years Active: 12 Certifications: Realtor Specialties: I specialize in the buying and selling of foreclosures. I also particularly enjoy working with first time home buyers.

Family: I have been married to Tony for 28 years and we have four kids: Tate, Tina, Tessa, and Rob. We also have 6 grandkids: Hayden, Lexie, Jordyn, Fisher, Camp and Timber. Me, my husband and Rob are active members of Edgil Grove Baptist Church.

Phone: (205) 544.4155| Email: realtorrhondadailey1965@yahoo.com “Honesty is a priority for me and I am always up front with my clients. I enjoy working with all buyers and sellers, but I will say first-time home buyers are special to me! “

88 | 78 Magazine

TOP LISTINGS New Construction located in Downtown Jasper. 2590 sq ft. Beautiful 4bd/2.5ba modern home with working pantry, gas logs, quartz countertops, and hardwood floors.

This house has too much to mention!

Joseph Carter Realty Ina Harbison 205-527-4710, inaharbison@gmail.com

This 4 bedroom 2 bath home sitting on three acres in the Curry School District features an open floor plan with an amazing kitchen and lots of custom-built wood cabinets. You will love the extra large master bedroom with huge master bath, featuring heated jacuzzi tub, shower and walk-in closet.

ERA Byars Realty Linda Ingram 205-522-3675, lindaingram08@yahoo.com

This gorgeous home on beautiful Smith Lake has year-round water, a huge 2-slip boat dock with a swim pier & an inground pool. The home is 7200 sq. ft over 3 levels, 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms,, 2 living areas, 2 full kitchens, 2 laundry areas, new granite counte tops in the main kitchen and new paint.

All Four Real Estate Rhonda Burttram Dailey 205.544.4155 realtorrhondadailey1965@yahoo.com

ABE CANNON

TYLER HERRON

JOHN SOFTLEY JR.

JIM CANNON

BOOGIE FRANKLIN

GREG WILLIAMS

TIM DODD

CURT BALLARD

JR MINSHALL

TOMMY PARRISH

BUTCH FOSTER

KEITH RICE

JOSH SALTER

TOMMY FOWLER

BRIAN BURGETT

HOLLY KURIGER

STEVE MASON

RYAN MORTIMER

Call us for a great deal on your next car or truck! when other dealers can’t - cannon can!

Carl Cannon Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC 299 Carl Cannon Blvd.

Jasper, AL 35501 Sales (877) 535-2112 Service (866) 268-8081 Fax: (205) 295-4941