From the Operating Room to the Open Road: A Surgeon’s Half-Marathon and New Beginning

May 4th 2025:
Today, I crossed a new finish line—both literally and metaphorically. I ran my first half-marathon, the Flying Pig, in Cincinnati, a feat I never thought possible. The most I’d ever run was 10 miles, twice in my life: once at 16, nearly fainting with tunnel vision, and once last year, which went better. Now, at 54, with my BMI creeping up, I’m discovering unexpected stamina. Finishing this race felt like an allegory for the life I’ve been running, full of competition and ambition, always pushing for the next opportunity.

As a plastic and hand surgeon in Lansing, Michigan, I built a career in a prestigious university system, earning a very healthy annual salary. Yet, standing in that “big shop,” I didn’t feel I’d arrived. This year, I ran the extra mile. I resigned, invested nearly as much in launching a private practice, and shifted my focus to what matters most: my patients. My mission? To provide accessible, office-based hand surgeries—carpal tunnel releases, cubital tunnel releases, trigger finger corrections, ganglion removals, Dupuytren’s fasciectomies—without the burden of hospital ORs or unnecessary anesthesia. These are procedures many of us will need as we age, especially for peripheral nerve decompression, which often creeps up in midlife and beyond.

This journey mirrors a deeper realization, one that resonates with the ancient role of healers, like shamans, who served their communities with holistic care (a nod to the fascinating link between shamanism and modern medicine, where doctors remain society’s trusted healers). As I’ve run this race of life, I’ve learned I’m not responsible for the success of the health system I once served—just for my patients’ well-being. The walls of employed medicine were closing in, pushing me toward ambulatory surgical centers and protocols that didn’t align with the needs of an aging population. So, I broke free.

Starting my practice is my new finish line, a testament to running race towards serving my patients needs better.