Ford City native trying to prove doctor's wrong

Dr. Gregory Garth, MD, has been working hard to prove his doctors wrong since beginning recovery from a stroke nearly a year ago.

Garth, 54, formerly of Ford City and a 1968 graduate of Ford City High School, is an Ear, Nose and Throat physician and surgeon in private practice and on the staff at Watauga Medical Center, living in Boone, North Carolina.

He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Penn State University and worked as an electrical engineer. After a couple of years he decided to apply to medical school at the Milton Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine.

Five years later he completed his residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, practiced medicine in Germany for four years with the U.S. Army and for 13 years practiced medicine in Georgia before moving to North Carolina in 2003.

After the stroke, doctors didn't believe Garth would be able to continue working as a surgeon.

"It's a challenge for him," his sister Brenda Woody of Ford City said. "They told him being a doctor would be too much for him. They told him he was smart enough to go into another profession.

"At first he thought they were right but then he decided to prove them wrong. He's doing well now and his speech keeps improving."

Presently Garth is observing. He will be evaluated on his skills during the next three months and expects to be seeing patients soon.

"I should be able to operate in a few months," Garth said.

Garth's story before the stroke is that of an athlete. He was a track and field athlete in high school and since has maintained a healthy diet and been active in weight lifting, cycling and other aerobic exercises.

Garth believes his regimen of exercise spared his life and since the stroke he has spent a lot of time in the gym getting himself rehabilitated.

"I have always been athletic," Garth said. "I considered myself to be in excellent health."

That all changed on March 22, 2004 when he realized the right side of his body was completely numb and paralyzed. He tried to get up but fell to the floor.

"As a doctor and surgeon he was able to recognize what was happening," Woody said. "That played a part in his quick treatment and recovery."

Garth was able to reach for the telephone and call the emergency room of the hospital. When he started to speak, he realized he had lost his ability to talk.

"Then all of a sudden the words came to me, my name is Gregory Garth and I'm having a stroke," Garth said. "I held onto the phone until EMS arrived."

The first person Garth saw when he woke up in the Intermediate Care Unit two days later was his 79-year-old mother, Edna Garth of Ford City.

"That was the last thing I expected to hear because he exercises and runs," Edna Garth said. "I got there as fast as I could get a flight and stayed with him through therapy."

She walked with him, played speech games and helped him with his homework.

Edna Garth said her son prayed he would be able to speak when he phoned the emergency room.

"God gave him the strength," she said.

The stroke has resulted in a calling for Garth.

He understands that his stroke was due to genetics and that others should know how important it is to take care of their bodies. He plans to speak at the Stroke Association and to young people about leading a healthy lifestyle.

"Coming from a doctor it will be more of an emphasis," Edna Garth said.

Garth's stroke experience has led to a new outlook on his life.

"I don't take anything for granted," Garth said. "Every day is a new day and I'm grateful to be alive."