Dr. E. Dan DeLoach
'I’m Very Excited About What the Future Holds'
The swelling didn’t worry him at first.
Dr. E. Dan DeLoach could feel an enlarged lymph node in his neck, but he doesn’t smoke or have other risk factors that would suggest cancer, so he wasn’t overly concerned. Still, there was always a chance….
“As a physician, I knew there was a reasonable risk, and I had to find out what was going on,” said Dr. DeLoach, a 1974 Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine graduate who has practiced plastic surgery in Savannah, Ga., for the past 25 years.
Sadly, the news was bad. Dr. DeLoach was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the throat. But his reaction was characteristically pragmatic. “I thought, gee, I hoped it wasn’t cancer, but since it is, it’s time to deal with it and move on.”
Two years have passed since the radiation and surgery that saved his life. In the meantime, his health and his perspective have taken dramatic turns for the better.
He loves his profession as much as ever -- maybe more than ever -- but Dr. DeLoach is now intent on fitting R&R into his schedule.“My kids always said, ‘Dad, you work too hard,’” says Dr. DeLoach. “After my cancer diagnosis, I decided to slow down and spend more time with my family.”
He and wife Cameron, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the MCG School of Nursing, raised three sons while Dr. DeLoach cultivated a thriving practice.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a physician,” he says. “The fulfillment of helping people with deformities is eminently rewarding for me. My original specialty was general surgery, which is dealing with life-and-death issues. In plastic surgery, you’re dealing more with quality-of-life issues. That’s very appealing to me, helping people be able to live a better life.”
He is particularly gratified that the field has evolved so dramatically during his career. “Each case presents its own set of challenges but there’s so much we can do for people today,” he says. “It’s just incredible.”
Still, his own health scare was a timely reminder that there are only so many hours in a day. “I think an experience like that can lead to very valuable insights,” he says. “I’m a stronger person because of it.”
And a more relaxed one. He is still fiercely committed to his profession-- including serving as a board member of the Medical Association of Georgia to address issues such as tort reform and insurance problems-- but he finds himself enjoying the charms of a coastal lifestyle more than ever before. He also is enjoying watching his sons forge their own paths as they embark on adulthood. “I’ve always encouraged them to do what they find enjoyable and satisfying,” Dr. DeLoach says. “I want them to pursue their dreams, and they’re all finding their niches.”
Dr. DeLoach and his wife are also eager to leave a lasting legacy in health care. As founding members of MCG’s Milton Antony Guild, their generosity will help ensure a margin of excellence in the educational, research and clinical missions of their alma mater.
“MCG provided me with excellent opportunities, excellent teachers and an excellent education,” Dr. DeLoach says. “It’s a pleasure to give something back to the university.”
He is particularly excited about supporting initiatives that promise advances in his field of plastic surgery. “The field is growing by leaps and bounds, and I’m very excited about what the future holds,” he says. “The accomplishments thus far have been building blocks that will lead to outstanding, almost miraculous kinds of results for patients in years to come.”
--Christine Hurley Deriso