"Calling Dr. Weasel"...revisited: Dr. Jacob Weasel takes position in South Dakota

Reporter's note: A few weeks ago Dobie Weasel contacted me about a story that he believed ran in the "Journal" several years ago entitled "Calling Dr. Weasel." The story was before my time in Chinook and had to do with the beginnings of the medical career of Dr. Jacob Weasel, Dobie's son. Dobie was born at Fort Belknap and his mother, Ruth LaMere, was a longtime nurse with Indian Health Services and a community volunteer at Fort Belknap. Currently Dr. Jacob Weasel is completing his fifth year of a residency in surgery and in June, 2018 will take a position as a general surgeon at Regional Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota.

I searched several years of back issues of the "Journal" for the original story that Dobie mentioned, but never could locate it. After speaking with Dr. Jacob Weasel as well as friends and colleagues of Ruth LaMere, I learned and came to appreciate Dr. Weasel's story and his connection to Fort Belknap. Here's some of what I learned about this intergenerational story of a grandson and grandmother who both pursued careers in health care.

Ruth LaMere served with IHS for 24 years

Ruth LaMere was born at Fort Belknap in 1932, the daughter of Millard and Rosie (Bacon) Weasel. Late in 1969 she became a Licensed Practical Nurse and the following year began her career as a health care worker. She worked in Havre at the old Sacred Heart Hospital and the old Northern Montana Hospital, then moved to Fort Belknap and joined Indian Health Services (IHS) there. Ruth retired from IHS in 1995, after 24 years of service.

The next year she decided to return to work, first with the Home Health Program and in 2001 she joined Tribal Public Health Nursing. During her working career she also was active in the Fort Belknap community, serving with the ambulance crew and on several committees and with groups that worked to preserve the native culture. Ruth died in November, 2009. In her obituary it was noted she was "one of the few remaining fluent Assiniboine speakers." In a phone conversation Dobie said his mother, "got to see Jacob graduate from college but not medical school." She died the year before her grandson began medical school.

Dr. Jacob Weasel grew up in Albuquerque, gradauted college and medical school in Omaha

Jacob Weasel grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Describing how he was drawn to a career in medicine, he wrote, "I became interested in medicine around the age of 16. I had always done well in school, wanted to make a difference in the lives of others in a positive way and live a life of significance through service to others." In 2004, between his junior and senior years of high school, he was involved in a medical research program at Creighton University (in Omaha) and received a national award for excellence in the field of biomedical research.

He went on to attend Creighton, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Theology and a minor in Health Administration and Policy. He attended medical school (2009-2013) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, also in Omaha. For the past five years he has been completing his training in surgery at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. He will complete his surgical training in June, 2018. He and his family will then move to Rapid City, South Dakota where he will begin new duties as a general surgeon at Regional Hospital.

At Regional he will be a general surgeon "providing medical care to patients, seeing patients in the clinic and counseling them about surgical options and treating patients in the ER and in an inpatient setting within the hospital." Part of the attraction to Rapid City was the opportunity to serve fellow native people. He said, "I am an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe which is only a few hours away." He's hoping he can have a positive impact on that community.

Describing his preparation for a career as a surgeon, he noted, "it's been 13 years beyond high school for me." He said one of his biggest challenges while preparing for a career as a surgeon is to find a balance between "being a husband, father, doctor and every other role that I fulfill." He's now reached a point in his preparation that he can look back and more fully appreciate the process and how he's acquired a set of very specialized skills. He added, "The process of transformation from student to practitioner of medicine is slow and not appreciated while in the midst of the process." Long hours of study and 80 hour work weeks "have been my life for seemingly as long as I care to remember."

Dr. Weasel also commented about sacrifices his family has made so he could pursue his career goals. The missed family dinners, days gone by without seeing his kids and many small sacrifices over the years allowed him to "be able to do what I do." He said support from his family has been a large part of his success.

Some observations

and hopes

I asked Dr. Weasel to share some thoughts about modern medicine. Pointing out that was a very broad topic, he wrote, "I would say that one of my critiques is that we as a society seem to have lost some sense of personal responsibility when it comes to our health." He explained, "I think Hippocrates (often referred to as the founder of medicine) was on to something when he suggested that we let food be our medicine and medicine be our food. Medicine's role in the US has just as much to do with what we are cooking for supper as it does with what goes on within the operating rooms of our hospitals."

Questioned about advice for young people thinking about a career in medicine, Dr. Weasel offered three pieces of guidance: study hard; don't give up or let failures along the way determine your destination and "strap in...realize it is a long road and won't be accomplished overnight." In answer to a related question he said, "...hard work and perseverance. those two things alone will outweigh all the natural ability and talent in the world."

Realizing Dr. Weasel will soon be starting his career in surgery, I asked what he hoped his legacy in medicine would be. Here's what he wrote: "I hope I'm known as someone who always tried to do what was best for those I served." He went on to explain that he wanted to "touch lives in a way that transcends medicine and gets to the root of what it means to be human, to connect with others while attempting to alleviate pain and suffering." A phrase from his grandmother Ruth LaMere's obituary conveyed a similar thought about her role as a health care provider, she was "a great friend to those who knew her and a dedicated health professional."

The "Journal" congratulates Dr. Jacob Weasel on his soon to be completed surgery training and wishes him the best in his new position in Rapid City, South Dakota.