Page 21 - Healthcare Heores 2021

HEALTHCARE HEROES OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
them that one of the wonderful things I get
to experience is when a child follows up who couldn’t walk, and I helped them walk; that’s got to be one of the most rewarding things in the world. To get a hug from a parent who tells me that their child is finally walking or is able to run or keep up with their friends ... that’s really priceless.”
“It was an opportunity-knocks moment — and I opened”the door to see what was behind it.
Over the years, DeCaro has received many hugs like that, and that just begins to explain why he is one of the Healthcare Heroes for 2021.
Positive Steps
Like many in healthcare, DeCaro said that, while he ultimately chose his specialty, in many ways, it chose him.
Relating the story of how he ventured into podiatry, he said he had just finished his junior year at Stony Brook University on Long Island and was on a path to a career in allopathic medicine when he got a letter from someone at Barry University, a podiatry school in Florida.
“I didn’t know anything about podiatry at
Dr. Louis DeCaro, seen here with his children, Eliza and Lucas,
and wife Jamie, says foot issues impact people of all ages, starting with the very young.
all,” he recalled, adding that
the school was impressed with his MCAT scores and offered to fly him down for a visit. He
took them up on their offer and came away impressed with the school, the specialty, and the opportunities it presented.
“Podiatry seemed like a wonderful profession because I could specialize in whatever I wanted — I could do surgery if I wanted to, I could treat kids if I wanted,” he said, adding that he wound up skipping his final year at Stonybrook and getting on an
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OCTOBER 2021 A21
2021 HEALTHCARE HEROES