Page 20 - BusinessWest Healthcare Heroes 2021
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                                   HEALTHCARE HEROES OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
 “I didn’t know anything about podiatry at 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
“It was an opportunity-knocks moment — and I opened the door to see what was behind it.”
on an airplane to attend Barry.
“It was the best decision I’ve ever made; getting
into this specialty has been wonderful, “he went on. “It was an opportunity-knocks moment — and I opened the door to see what was behind it.”
To say that DeCaro has made the most of
his opportunity and had a profound impact on patients and their families during his career in his chosen field would be a huge understatement. Indeed, as noted, he has been changing and improving lives in many ways — through education, treatment, and the development of new orthotic solutions, such as littleSTEPS.
DeCaro Total Foot Care Center now counts 30,000 active patients, with some
of them coming from other states and the four corners of Massachusetts.
“Besides Boston Children’s, which is two hours away, there’s really no other pediatric specialist in this state for foot care,” he explained. “So we
get patients all the time who travel two or three hours to see me, just because of the lack of pediatric specialists.”
He said podiatry is regarded by many as a specialty focused on the elderly and the diabetic, and while many of the
practice’s patients are in those categories, foot issues impact people of all ages. And many problems of the foot develop when people are young.
DeCaro said he treats many children on
the autism spectrum with sensory-processing disorders, others with neuromuscular diseases like cerebral palsy, children who are late walkers or delayed walkers with low muscle tone, athletes with injuries that start with their foot structure, kids with growing pains, and those with other ailments.
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.
“Often, orthopedic issues, especially in
the pediatric population, are caused by poor mechanics in the foot,” he explained. “And it starts with the minute we walk.”
He said he sees roughly 20 patients a day, fewer than many specialists, because he enjoys spending
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Visit us @ www.Rockridgema.org or call 413.586.2902
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 Rockridge offers several pricing models for Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Support - all on one connected campus!
We look forward to meeting you and showing you the benefits of community living that offers quality care and peace of mind.
       25/37 Coles Meadow Road, Northampton
     Wilbraham
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At Home. In the World.
   34 SEPTEMBER 2021
  2021 HEALTHCARE HEROES
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