By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau
Chris
Estes never dreamed of being a doctor until his
bout with an illness showed him that he could make a real difference in people’s
lives.
And now that dream is taking him to Washington, D.C., where he’ll soon begin
attending classes at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and
Health Sciences. GWU is located four blocks from the White House and was created
by an Act of Congress in 1821.
George Washington University had its beginning in 1821 as The Columbian College
in the District of Columbia. The name of the institution was changed in 1873 to
Columbian University and in 1904 to The George Washington University.
Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Batesville, Estes knew just where he
wanted to go after he had graduated from high school.
“Lyon College was my first choice,” he said. “In junior high and high school, I
was sick with Crohn’s Disease, and I just wasn’t ready to move away from
Batesville. I grew up hearing how Lyon was the best college around, and after I
went there, I found it’s true.”
The biology major graduated in May 2006 and is currently preparing to leave for
Washington, D.C., to begin classes in medical school at GWU.
Though he hasn’t yet decided which medical specialty he’ll focus on, he said
he’s leaning toward psychiatry.
“Psychiatrists get to talk with patients and really get to know them,” Estes
said. “You’re treating the person, not just the disease, and I like that.”
Crohn’s disease is a disorder that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal
tract. It can affect any area of the GI tract but it most commonly affects the
lower part of the small intestine. The swelling extends deep into the lining of
the affected organ, causing severe pain.
During his treatment, Estes began to realize that he wanted to be a doctor who
can help people suffering the way he was.
“Through a lot of prayer, I got through it—it’s something I really thank God
for,” he said. “When I was sick, I saw a lot of others who were as sick as I
was, some worse. There isn’t always someone there to care for these people. More
people out there need to take notice and help them. Medicine is the way I choose
to do it.”
Estes
currently holds a summer job at the Child and Youth Pediatric Day Clinic working
as an early childhood development tech. Donna Roberson, a certified mental
health para-professional at the clinic, said the way Estes interacts with the
children is a good way of gauging what kind of doctor he’ll be.
“He’s good with the kids,” Roberson said. “He’s very attentive, and it’s plain
to see that he cares about them. He’ll make a good doctor.”
When he began attending Lyon College, he worried about how to pay for tuition,
but the College and the state of Arkansas came through for him in the form of
the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship and the Lyon Fellowship.
“They covered all my tuition,” he said. “Lyon and the state were very good to
me, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Another thing he’s grateful for is the way the campus community made him feel at
home.
“The Greek system really helped me out,” he said. “In the beginning, I still
wasn’t ready to leave home, but my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, helped me socialize
and make the transition from living at home to living on my own. The Greek
system there is really safe and productive, unlike at some schools.”
He also credits the College’s religious groups for helping him adjust to college
life.
“I joined the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and it also helped me out quite a
bit,” he said. “It was very comforting to be able to practice my religion with
my peers.”
Another influence on Estes was one of his professors, Dr. Tim Lindblom.
“I had a couple of classes with him and really liked his laid-back style,” he
said. “I researched detoxification in C. elegans in his lab one summer and
attended conferences in L.A. and Madison. In the summer I worked for him, we did
some work to get published. He showed me how to have a lot of fun and do your
job at the same time. He’s one of those professors you can just hang out with.
That’s one thing about Lyon: students have really close relationships with their
professors.”
When asked if he might return to Arkansas in the future, Estes said the Ozarks
will always be home.
“At D.C., I’ll get to experience big-city life and an array of cultures, but I
think after four years, I’ll probably get tired of the fast pace and cold
weather,” he said. “Arkansas is a nice, calm place to live, and it’s home.”