12/09/2025
We’ve posted about him before but always worth a reread!
"If somebody were to watch most of my life over the past few years, it would be me sitting in a quiet room by myself studying and laboring over mounds of information."
Dr. Carl Allamby grew up in a neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio where money was tight and life was hard. As a kid, he washed dishes and was a cook in a restaurant so he could afford his own clothes and school supplies. Dr. Allamby later got a job at an auto repair shop and became so skilled that he opened his own shop. He was proud of the work he did, but he always dreamed of becoming a doctor.
When Dr. Allamby was older, he finally decided to chase that dream. He went back to community college and studied every chance he got, even late at night after long days of work. He first took biology and other science classes to prepare for medical training. Dr. Allamby later went to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and he worked very hard to learn how to help patients. He never stopped learning.
All of his hard work paid off. Dr. Allamby finished medical school in 2019, and he became a practicing emergency doctor at 51 years old. He said that his years fixing cars taught him how to listen, solve problems, and treat people with kindness. In an interview with NPR, Dr. Allamby said, "If somebody were to watch most of my life over the past few years, it would be me sitting in a quiet room by myself studying and laboring over mounds of information." His story reminds all of us that it's never too late to go after your dreams.
(Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Carl Allamby / Cleveland Clinic Photography)
