She glows : Dr. Monique Levesque-Hartle

COMMUNITY FOCUS | SHE she glows

DR. MONIQUE LEVESQUE-HARTLE

DC, DACBN, CSCS

By Deborah C. Gerbers | Photo by Mollie Shutt

Dr. Monique Levesque-Hartle grew up on a farm in Canada and moved to the US in 1990 to attend chiropractic college in Minneapolis. In 1996, she moved to northeast Indiana to call Fort Wayne home. She began her career in medicine to fulfill a lifelong aspiration to help people with ailments and pain, as well as helping them heal from other types of suffering.

“My mom was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer when I was young and given only a few months to live,” she said. “My uncles, who were chiropractors, were able to help her with pain management and nutrition, so we actually helped extend her life by two years by using natural therapies. I thought, if I could do that for people, that would be great— which is why I became a chiropractor.” In addition to helping her chiropractic patients, Dr. Levesque-Hartle is active with St. Joseph Missions Women’s Shelter, a local nonprofit organization providing homeless women a place where they can feel physically and emotionally safe to begin their journey back to living their lives. Following a calling close to her own heart, she began working with St. Joseph Missions after feeding the homeless in Fort Wayne with Catholics on a Mission, and strived to do more for those most in need in the community. “I found myself extremely committed to the causes, and I took over as president of St. Joseph Missions in October 2018,” she said. Dr. Levesque-Hartle finds fulfillment in both her professional career, as well as in her work with the mission. “It is unbelievable to see the changes these women make in their lives,” she said. “When they first come to us, they are, of course because of their histories, very hesitant to trust—and you can tell they’ve been in some bad situations. In the beginning, the women are very guarded, and it’s just amazing to see the transformation when they finally realize they have a safe place to sleep and three meals a day. They realize that we truly want to help them, and they just blossom as people.” After the death of her mother, Dr. Levesque-Hartle’s father entered the seminary, leaving her to feel a bit uprooted without a permanent place to live. “I am personally familiar with being one serious issue away from being on the street,” she explained. “To me, I felt the need to help these people because it really can happen to any of us at any time. I was also raised to help those in need; those who have, should help those who don’t.” Accordingly, Dr. Levesque-Hartle sees Mother Teresa as her role model. “She taught us to help anyone, regardless of who they are.” For more information on St. Joseph Missions, please visit stjosephmissions.org. a