The Bar

Imagine going to medical school when you're 40. Throw in the additional obstacles of being a woman and too many applicants to American medical schools, and it's easy to see the odds are not in your favor to become a medical doctor.

But that didn't stop Dr. Mary Stegman, Chief Medical Officer of Hope Hospice Healthcare Services in Ft Myers, Florida. Instead of throwing in the towel, she applied to and was accepted to medical school overseas. Now medical school is harsh regardless of where you go, but Dr. Stegman's was further complicated by the political and police corruption in that region. Even when it came to delivering babies in the remote jungle, police expected bribes to ensure safe passage. No payoff brought police brutality, but Dr. Mary Stegman never let anyone or anything stand in her way.
Thirty years later after practicing in Texas, Oregon, Rhode Island and now Florida, she still lives by that creed. She beat the odds. Perhaps that's why she works tirelessly serving those who also have the odds stacked against them. I've personally witnessed her sacrifice an entire weekend to care for a friend who had surgery, and this was after an 80 hour work week. After talking to her family and long time friends, I realize this is how Dr. Stegman rolls. This is who she is and what she does so she sets the bar for the stories that will be shared on this blog. In closing, I have two words for Dr. Mary Stegman: you rock!