It was twenty years ago on April 24th that I officially saw my first patient as the owner of my own practice. It was a lot different back then. I was large animal only and mobile back then. I had no building and no employees, just a truck and a lot of hope. I still remember that first appointment very clearly. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day as I drove up the driveway to Mrs Lori Kovel’s barn to vaccinate her horses. I remember being so nervous. I had never met this person, and she chose me based on the recommendation of a friend. I did not want to disappoint. I remember telling myself, “Stop it. You are not a new grad. You have vaccinated horses thousands of times. This is no different.” But it was different. It was my new business. My new venture. A lot was riding on this. My family’s livelihood depended on this going well. The appointment went very smoothly and I was so relieved. Mrs Kovel is still a client, but now it’s her dogs that I see. She has the lowest client number in the system.
Please forgive me, I speak about Bear Creek like it is a person. It is, kind of. Almost as of it is my child. Like a parent, I desire to see my child mature and thrive and be independent. It is its own entity. An ever growing, ever evolving entity that has taken on a path of its own separate from me. I could not have imagined the path that Bear Creek has taken. My life and Bear Creek’s are so intertwined. We have been through so much together. If you had told me twenty years ago, on that spring day in April, that Bear Creek would become the practice it is today, I would have called you insane. The Bear Creek that stands before you today is so far beyond what I started. I knew it was meant to be something more than just me and truck, but I had no idea what it would mean to so many.
The path Bear Creek has taken is not because it was my vision. It is because of you, the clients, and the community. You asked and I tried to provide. You pulled me into the small animal world and continued to ask for more. I added more vets and more services, and it continued to grow.
Over the years I have had countless difficult conversations, shared difficult diagnoses, hugged and cried over lost pets, laughed and celebrated good news and successful treatments. I have endured your personal tragedies within the walls of Bear Creek and outside them. I have attended weddings, birthdays, and funerals. You have shared your lives with me, and I have shared mine with you all because of Bear Creek.
Bear Creek is the dream I never dared to dream, and I have you to thank for that. It is clear to see in the clients that have stood by us through all the transitions and the struggles, remodels and pandemics, loss and growth. When I go to the grocery store on any given day and run into at least three clients that tell me they support my decision to step back but sure do miss me. Then welcomed me back with open arms. I still, to this day, have clients that tell me they are “sure sad I am no longer doing large animals” even though it has been 8 years since Bear Creek stopped providing large animal medicine.
I have the wounds and the scars. I have the smiles and the memories. Large animal provided me with the best stories. Most importantly, I have the support of my community. This community has given so much to me and to Bear Creek. Bear Creek has a family. Bear Creek is a family, and we cannot thank you enough. Here’s to 20 years of being a part of Bear Creek. Being a part of something so much bigger than myself. And here’s to another 20 years. Who knows what it will look like then. I can only imagine.