# It's Never Too Late (bm Becomes Doctor At 47)



## Southernbella. (Jul 28, 2019)

A little Sunday motivation


Long but worth the read...

*Car mechanic shifts gears, becomes a doctor at age 47 and helps address shortage of black doctors*
Updated 8:49 AM;Today 6:28 AM






By Michael K. McIntyre, The Plain Dealer

*Carl Allamby became an expert diagnostician after spending his childhood ducking his head under the hoods of Chevys and Fords with the older guys in his East Cleveland neighborhood*. If a car whined and growled while turning, or if it squeaked on startup, he could run through a checklist in his head, zero in on the problem, and fix it.

Today, after a career overhaul, he does the same thing with people as an emergency medicine resident, having *graduated from medical school this year at age 47.
*
To go from Carl the mechanic to Dr. Allamby, he had to engineer a 180-degree turn without ever hitting the brakes.
*
HARD WORK BRINGS REWARDS

Allamby grew up in East Cleveland with two brothers and three sisters. His dad was a part-time photographer who also sold cookware door-to-door. His mom was a stay-at-home parent. Money was scarce.

School was never much of a priority, but working was.

He got a job at 16 at an auto parts store near where he lived. *And because he knew his way around cars, customers started asking his advice on how to install the parts they bought.

“I just started saying, ‘Hey, yeah. I can take care of you after work in the parking lot,’” he said.
*
He was great at fixing cars, not so great at school. He graduated from Shaw High School with less than a 2.0 grade point average. No big deal, he wasn’t going to college.

*
“Through high school, I don’t remember a single person talking to me about college,” he said. “For us, it was mostly going and finding a factory job or go to the military. I ended up finding a job.”

That job grew from the parking lot of the auto parts store to a repair bay he later rented in a shop across the street. He eventually took over the whole building and ran a business repairing cars and eventually selling used cars for 18 years there. He then bought out another shop in South Euclid, Advanced Auto Repair, and ran it, along with used car sales, for another eight years.


The work was hard, and vacations were rare. Still, he decided to finally enroll in college to seek a business degree.

“Most people go into business not because they’re good businessmen but because they’re good at whatever their trade is. I was good at fixing cars,” he said. “I just felt like if I really wanted to grow this and grow it right, I really needed a foundational education in business to really understand it.”

So in 2006, decades after high school, he started taking night classes, one or two at a time, at Ursuline College. But there was one required class he kept putting off: Biology.

“My argument was, ‘I’m here for business, why do I even need to take a biology class?’” he said.

Finally, his counselor said he needed it to graduate. So he signed up.

And that’s when the auto mechanic shifted gears.

One class changed everything

The class was an overview of life. “Pretty basic,” said Allamby.

But there was something about the teacher, Dr. Micah Watts, a resident at the time in interventional radiology at the Cleveland Clinic.

“He just lit up when he walked into the room,” said Allamby. “After the first hour of class, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do. I have to go into medicine.’ It was like a light switched on.”

*Allamby remembered once dreaming of becoming a doctor when he was a child, but, “Somewhere through junior high and high school, that had gotten beaten out of me.”*

And he had no black doctors as role models.

“Nobody to even to emulate. Just to say, ‘Hey, I know a guy who is a doctor who looks like me and if he can do it, I can do it,’” he said.

He considered a career in medicine, perhaps as a nurse or physician’s assistant. Being a doctor seemed impossible because of the years of study it would require. He was 40, had a family, and was still running a business.

But he had role models this time. And *when he brought it up to the two black doctors he’d befriended at the Severance Athletic Club, Drs. Kenneth Lane and David Headen, they told him to aim high.

“It was just incredible, the support they gave me, saying ‘You can do it, this is totally possible,’ ” he said.*

NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT, NONTRADITIONAL PROGRAM

After wrapping up his business degree with a 3.98 GPA, Allamby began taking basic science courses at Cuyahoga Community Collegewhile he figured out what was next.

A chemistry teacher told him about a new program at Cleveland State University that offered intense undergraduate classes, help preparing for the Medical College Admissions Test, and then, if successful, a spot at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown. The Partnership for Urban Health sought to recruit and train doctors, especially minority doctors, to practice urban communities.

Allamby missed the enrollment cutoff for that year and took more Tri-C classes to prepare. He aced them all.

“While he was in the classroom with me, I worked him pretty hard,” said Dr. Ormond Brathwaite, dean of STEM at Tri-C and Allamby’s Chemistry 2 professor.

Brathwaite gave Allamby more than an “A” when the course ended. Brathwaite’s daughter had just passed the medical school exam, and he gave Allamby her books and study materials knowing the work ahead of him.

“It was a steep climb, but he had the intellect,” Brathwaite said.

Allamby completed the two years at CSU and got his second undergraduate degree, acing the NEOMED entrance exam in 2015. But before classes began, he had to dissolve his auto repair business by hiring an auctioneer and selling off everything in a day.

“It was like, ‘Finally, I am free of this and I can go after something I’ve always wanted,’ ” he said.

His workload didn’t decrease, though. Medical school was rigorous and Allamby, commuting from Beachwood, also had a family life: His wife, Kim, and two grade-schoolers at home and two grown children from a previous marriage. Going to school full time would eat through his savings and require hefty student loans.

“The stakes were high, like, ‘Man I really can’t fail,’ ” he said.

That meant buckling down with the books.

“There were a lot of days where it was like, ‘Oh my God, I have this mound of paperwork to go through, all of this information to understand, how am I ever going to get this down and also spend time with my kids?’ And my wife would tell me, ‘Hey, we’re OK, go do some studying, do whatever you have to do and get it done.’ ”

He did. Not only did he ace every class, he was appointed by then-Gov. John Kasich to serve as the student representative on the school’s Board of Trustees.

“He is the poster child for this program,” said Dr. Jay Gershen, president of NEOMED. “It’s not just what he’s doing, it’s who he is. He’s an amazing man.”

PUTTING ON THE COAT

Allamby’s amiable personality, not just his academic record, impressed the hiring committee at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital, where he was selected for a three-year residency in Emergency Medicine.

“He’s got people skills most doctors don’t start out with, that customer relations mentality from his years in business,” said Dr. Steven Brooks, chair of emergency medicine at Akron General. “We were blown away by him.”

His background as a small business owner also showed an impressive work ethic, Brooks said. Allamby said he laughed when people warned him about the long hours residents put in.

“When you own a small business, an 80-hour week is like a vacation,” he said.

His bedside manner and his work ethic certainly distinguish him. But there’s something else that could really benefit patients particularly in urban areas: his race.

“Being a physician of color, you have a special connection with patients when you look like them. There is a certain level of trust between you and the patient. This person who looks like me understands what I’m going through,” said Dr. Stephanie Gains, an emergency department physician at University Hospitals who mentored Allamby during one of his clinical rotations in medical school.

Allamby understands theimportance.

“There are so many times throughout the different hospitals where I will walk in and [a black patient] will say, ‘Thank God there’s finally a brother here,’” Allamby said.

“We absolutely need more black doctors, he said, noting mistrust that has a long history, including the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis, where black patients were victimized.

“I think you remove a lot of those barriers when there is a person there who looks like you,” he said.

Research shows that black patients fare better with black doctors. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research last year found that black men, who have the lowest life expectancy of any American demographic, were more likely to share details with black doctors and to heed their advice. Having a black doctor was more effective in convincing them to get a flu shot than a financial reward.

To date, 125 students from the partnership have enrolled at NEOMED.

The hope is that they will stay local.

“We’re just trying to produce doctors to serve our community,” she said.

Allamby hopes to encourage the next wave of black doctors when they are young. He doesn’t recommend starting in your 30s.

“When I speak at a junior high or high school, I tell the kids, ‘Hey, if you are interested in medicine, reach out to me,” he said, “because I will help you as much as I can.’ ”

His 23-year-old son, Kyle, is a firefighter in East Cleveland pursuing a paramedic degree. Dad helps him as well as Kyle’s twin sister, Kaye, who is studying to be a registered nurse. His wife is a physical therapist.

“I have this big business plan,” Allamby says with a wry smile, “where my son will bring in the patient, I will save their life, and my wife will rehab them, and my daughter will take care of them while they’re in the hospital. And then they’ll get a free oil change on discharge.”


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## intellectualuva (Jul 28, 2019)

Love it!!!


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## rileypak (Jul 28, 2019)

Always believed this [it's never too late] as I have my own later in life plans


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## Brwnbeauti (Jul 28, 2019)

That’s awesome!


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## CarefreeinChicago (Jul 28, 2019)

So inspiring


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## Tulips4u (Jul 28, 2019)

Thank you for sharing this story. It’s inspirational.

I’m thinking about pursuing a doctorate degree.


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## Evolving78 (Jul 28, 2019)

I’m on my way as well.  Needed the inspiration!


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## lavaflow99 (Jul 28, 2019)

WOW!  Mad props to him!  I can't imagine starting over and going to medical school in my 40s.  I just turned 40 and I'm trying to see how I could work less in medicine.  It's hard!!!


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## starchgirl (Jul 28, 2019)

Love his grit. He did not let anyone or anything deter him from his dream. Props to his wife - she is the secret hero in this. Holding things down with the family while he gave his all to school/pursuit of the dream. Beautiful!


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## Laela (Jul 28, 2019)

How inspiring... he has what it takes to be great doctor...


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## MizAvalon (Jul 29, 2019)

This story is AMAZING!!

And I love his business plan at the end!


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## ava2 (Jul 29, 2019)

and Emergency Medicine!

Impressive.


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## chocolat79 (Jul 29, 2019)

lavaflow99 said:


> WOW!  Mad props to him!  I can't imagine starting over and going to medical school in my 40s.  *I just turned 40 and I'm trying to see how I could work less in medicine.  It's hard!!!*


Alladis!!


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## Laela (Aug 1, 2019)

Know what I really like about this story? The family effect... it's  very rare these days to see Black people do business as a family/team/collective.... there is really strength in unity. We "fight" so hard against it or partner with others who don't don't really care about Blacks (only the ones who has something in it for them)... Every race and ethnic group come together en force  to put themselves at an economic advantage and turn around to bring up others. So the few times we get to see Blacks with that mentality, it's a big deal and is very encouraging.  Imagine if we get to see more examples of  this....
Places like Greenwood and Rosewood had existed for a reason...I'm  all for a full circle!


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## LeftRightRepeat (Aug 1, 2019)

starchgirl said:


> Love his grit. He did not let anyone or anything deter him from his dream. Props to his wife - she is the secret hero in this. Holding things down with the family while he gave his all to school/pursuit of the dream. Beautiful!


But is he a bad father?


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## Evolving78 (Aug 1, 2019)

LeftRightRepeat said:


> But is he a bad father?


Might have already been absent father . Remember he was running a business and working on cars. Plus he had children from a previous relationship, meaning he had to financially take care of another household he created.  
He is man and man needs to work. And I lean more on the traditional side. I believe a mother should be with her children and shouldn’t have to be out in the workforce grinding.


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## Laela (Aug 2, 2019)

*No.*

“There were a lot of days where it was like, ‘Oh my God, I have this mound of paperwork to go through, all of this information to understand, _ how am I ever going to get this down and also spend time with my kids?’ And my wife would tell me, ‘Hey, we’re OK, go do some studying, do whatever you have to do and get it done._’ ”



LeftRightRepeat said:


> But is he a bad father?


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## michelle81 (Aug 3, 2019)

Laela said:


> *No.*
> 
> “There were a lot of days where it was like, ‘Oh my God, I have this mound of paperwork to go through, all of this information to understand, _ how am I ever going to get this down and also spend time with my kids?’ And my wife would tell me, ‘Hey, we’re OK, go do some studying, do whatever you have to do and get it done._’ ”



I wouldn't say so either.
Maybe not a good spouse, but probably a good parent. By that I mean his kids will have a better life because of him going to school (also kids are more resilient with things like this than we think), but his wife certainly took a chance on him. If he wasn't able to finish school, left her right after finishing or had an affair - she would have lost. It was a gamble she took and it seems to have worked very well for her. She also probably knows her husband, his determination, work ethic, love for her and capabilities so that made her gamble even less of one.

Most med students can get about 30k student loans/yr which is about 45k gross. Seems like he only didn't work for the 4 years of med school. Residency is about 50-60k/year which is probably about where he was with his business though that's hard to say for sure.
Seems like his older 2 were right around college age for his med school and could have gotten full Pell Grant of 6k/year since dad wasn't working.

He may have lots of student loans, but overall he and his family come out on top by his decision and support of his wife.


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## lavaflow99 (Aug 9, 2019)

His story is about to be on CBS Evening News!!!!


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