Foreword:
About theAuthor

Who am I? Well, that is a good question, requiring a lot of self-reflection. I don’t know if I’m qualified to even write this part of the book, but here it goes, for what it’s worth. I will start at the time in my life when my character, my person, and my desire to practice medicine began.

A little background on my upbringing: I had two great, loving, and supportive parents. They set an example of a strong work ethic and good morals. Most of the time, they worked 80 to 90 hours a week. I was an only child, so I had many chores growing up. Expectations were set at a very early age. I learned how to be self-sufficient before I turned 10. Little did I know then the traits instilled in me at a young age would aid me my entire career. I wanted to acknowledge those two great people before I even started this book. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

Secondly, I am happily married with five adult children. My wife has been an administrative nurse for over 20 years. Without her, my career and this book would not have been possible.

The Beginning

My life changed when I transferred to a new high school in my junior year as part of a move my parents had to make for their new jobs. This change of environment was perfect for me: I was a popular kid for the first time in my life, and that felt good. The new kid in a small rural town can always get attention at first, either good or bad. The first summer was the best: most of us had odds-and-end jobs to make a couple of dollars, and we spent most of our free time cruising the local strip, on the lake, and at bonfires in the backwoods on Friday and Saturday nights.

By the end of summer, 3 weeks before school began, football season would start. My new friends convinced me to try out for the football team. So, I did, without hesitation. However, with football, I started out sitting on the bench.

The first game of the season was against Pocahontas County, West Virginia. We were a very good team and were expected to attend the state finals. In the middle of the first half of the game, our star running back, who was supposed to lead us to the state finals, slipped and broke his ankle. We all returned to the locker room, crushed by what had happened to our friend and our chances of getting to those finals. I vividly remember Coach Roy, madder than hell that our star had gotten hurt, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs: “Who in the hell will take his place now?!”

Everyone went quiet, and there was an eerie silence in the locker room that seemed to last forever. At that time, I thought many were more talented than me, and most of the new starters had already made the Allstate Team, which was a big deal in West Virginia at that time. You had to earn by demonstrating good character, work ethic, and high performance. I had never done that—I was a bench warmer. So, I sat there in silence with my friends, wondering, Why is no one speaking up? Why is no one answering him—not even the other coaches?

Something inside of me stirred. I may have been the new benchwarmer, but I knew I could do more for the team. This was my opportunity to grow and take a chance on myself. So, with trembling legs and voice, I stood up and said, “I’ll help us win. I’d gladly step in and fill the gap, coach.”

Again, there was another pause. Nobody said a word. This silence seemed like hours, not seconds. Had I outstepped my bounds? I knew more senior people were waiting to take that position. Were my friends going to get mad at me for speaking out? Would they shut the new kid out of the popular crowd?

Suddenly, Coach Roy said: “Damn right, Simmons. We need more people like you. You’re damn right. That’s the kind of leadership we need—people to stand up and make shit happen.”

That moment changed my whole life: my character and work ethic was forever impacted. What came next was a whirlwind of education in how to be a team player. They pulled me into the ranks and put me on the starting team. With no experience, I was given a chance to do something better than I’d ever done in my life at that point. I was scared shitless, but excited. I started the game as a running back, but the other team hadn’t given me the ball yet in the first two quarters. Our opponents had already scored a touchdown.

My friend and I were on the kick-off receiving team. That means the ball is kicked a long way into the air, and you have to catch it and run. It sounds simple, right? However, it wasn’t so simple for me. They kicked the ball high and long, as we’d expected. They didn’t kick it to my friend, who was first team all-state in West Virginia. They knew to kick it to me, because I’d never been in a football game until today. So, the ball came to me, and I dropped the ball. I heard the people in the stands go: “Wooooh