Stephen Hathcock, M.A.R.
Not sure when I last sent in an update, but things have changed a bit in my life the past few years. After 17 years in private solo medical practice in Little Rock I closed up shop and moved to New Hampshire, where I worked for the Doctor Suess, er, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth for five years in one of their satellite family medicine clinics in Keene, NH. I lived in an 1830s schoolhouse in Nelson, NH, a Brigadoonish burg in the back of beyond, and was in professional and personal bliss the entire time. Alas, however, I was 1200 miles away from my sons, which never set well with me.
With the evolution of my practice mirroring the aging of my own body I found myself doing more and more hospice work. So with that I decided to leave my personal paradise and return to Arkansas to be with my sons, and to enter a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, which I completed in June, 2015. Since that time I’ve practiced hospice and palliative medicine as an Assistant Professor at my alma mater and been a medical director at Arkansas Hospice. I thought nothing could be more meaningful than delivering babies…This is it. I’ve found my people. I love this work, was made for this work, worked my entire life toward this work. I had no idea when I was studying with Tim Jackson at YDS 33 years ago - !! - or with Guido Calabrese at YLS, or Bernie Siegel at YMS, that this is where I’d end up. Hospice wasn’t much of a thing back then, (though in the United States it did begin in CT in 1974…). The most powerful work of my life. And I get to be with my sons as they prepare to head to college.
A little emergency back surgery and some paralysis notwithstanding I couldn’t be happier with where I am or with what I’m doing.
Characteristic of me I’ve been in a long distance relationship with a Canadian woman for nearly six years. It was easier when I lived in New Hampshire, to be sure. But she loves my sons, loves and appreciates that I want to be with my sons, and I love her for that. We’re working toward my moving to Ontario when Calum, my younger son, graduates high school in May, 2018. I’m currently in the process of registering for licensure in Canada. No mean feat considering you’d think it’d be easy. I mean, Canada’s just right over there…. Actually, it was more difficult re-licensing in my home state, where I’d practiced for over twenty years, from New Hampshire than it’s been arranging things in Ontario. Nice folks north of the border.
So that’s me in a very small nutshell. Still playing the banjo, though not nearly as well or as happily as when I was playing with Kristen Leslie. No longer playing ultimate frisbee, but I appear to be something of a Mythical Being to my niece and nephew who’ve both been on national championship teams.
The fact that I played at Yale back in the ’80s makes me some sort of Ultimate OG. “It’s Not a Sport, It’s a Way of Life.” Pretty cool when you’re cool to kids who don’t naturally thinks old folks are cool.