A Proud Sonof the Soil
He is Saving Lives in Canada
Dr. NeelyPanton
Young Ormond Neely Magnus Panton sat onthe front porch of his home in George Town, his head still spinningfrom a night of libations and carousing with his teenage pals.Neely's throat was tight but it wasn't from the alcohol swillingaround his stomach. His nausea came from the very real fact thathis father, a successful lawyer, was sitting silently across fromhis eldest son, his eyes piercing and his silence deafening tothe teenage boy.
"What do you want to be when you growup?" The question was delivered slow and deliberate. Theboy knew he had to say something. He also knew his father wantedhim to follow in his footsteps and someday to become a successfulattorney on the island.
"I want to be a doctor."
Some thirty years later, Dr. Neely Pantonsits in his office on Harvest Drive in British Columbia and chucklesabout his father's response. "He asked me why I would wantto dedicate my life to sticking my finger up bums. Neither ofus had any idea at that time how real his statement would become."
The 50-year-old surgeon is an expert inhis field, with a practice built on Proctology. With a specialtyin Laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Panton has performed ground-breakingoperations, documented many "firsts" in the medicalindustry with his technique and perseverance, and has spoken toliterally thousands of colleagues on everything from stomach CancerGastrectomies to Laparoscopic Anti-Reflux Surgery for hiatal hernias.
But unlike other surgeons, Dr. Panton doesnot walk away from his job, "a winner." Many of thesurgeries he has performed are to prolong the life of a dyingCancer patient. Yet the complexity of his work, from a scale ofone to ten, is often a nine and he is said to never put forthanything less than 110 percent.
Dr. Panton holds a tremendous amount ofaccolades in his name. Currently he is the president of the BritishColumbia Surgical Society and a Clinical Assistant Professor ofSurgery in the Department of General Surgery at the Universityof British Columbia. He has sat on 20 hospital and professionalcommittees and is an appointed member of over a dozen medicalsocieties spanning from England to the West Indies. He has publishedover 10 papers documenting many new techniques in the field ofLaparoscopic Surgery. And, his research and requests for presentationof this research extends to over 50 cases.
Seated leftto right, Mrs. Rhona Panton, Ms. Heather Panton, The Late Mr.Ormond Panton, OBE, Justice of the Peace, Mrs. Naomi Panton, Mrs.Karen Hunter and Mrs. Shannon Panton. Standing left to right Dr.Neely Panton, MD, FRCS, Capt. Kennedy Panton, Mr. Arthur Hunter,OBE and Mr. Dwight Panton, LLB, Notary Public.
Dr. Panton's personal goals are to see histwo boys through their education. Giles, 19, has just completedhis second year at the University of British Columbia in the Departmentof Forestry. But young Panton has set his goals already. He hasjust been accepted to the William Davis School of Acting (yes,the actor from X Files). Still in his teens, Giles has alreadyachieved many accomplishments. He is a drummer and his formerband, The Richmond Jazz Band, presented him with a scholarshipfor school.
Boyd, 14-years-old, has just finished eighthgrade. Though he is still deciding what his future will hold,Boyd shows a penchant for animals and is already considering Veterinarymedicine.
"Whatever they want to be, I will supportthem," said Dr. Panton. "But I will admit that my wifeis the pillar in this family." Rhona, a critical care nurse,has put her profession on hold so that she can play an activeroll in her children's lives. According to Dr. Panton, she isthe sole reason the couple have just celebrated their 25th weddinganniversary. "Surgeons put in long hours. Add to that myown personal quirks like being moody and too exhausted to contributeand it takes a very tolerant, patient and understanding womanlike Rhona to keep us together and on track."
But if you ask him about the motivationand drive that brought him to his success, he credits Cayman.
"I owe a great debt to the Cayman Islands,"said Dr. Panton, just hours before he was to perform the 39thLaparoscopic Adrenal Surgery in two years-a procedure he and acolleague introduced for the first time two years ago next month."There are a lot of amazing people who assisted in steeringmy life in the right direction."
Dr. Panton, the father of two boys, creditsthe support of his parents who struggled to raise seven childrenand lost two while Dr. Panton was still a boy, for his respectfor education and professionalism.
But he remembers a host of role models whosculpted him from a boy to a man with ambition. "The CaymanIslands provided me with an incredible education and opened thedoors of opportunity for me," said Dr. Panton.
Val Anderson on, a Scouts leader, was a"gentleman" who acted as a substantial role model forthe doctor. Islay Connolly and Cynthia Sterling worked in theschool system and showed Dr. Panton that University was accessiblewith hard work. "They made life very easy for us students,"he remembers. People like Desmond Watler and Dennis Foster assuredthe children that if they got their qualifications, then collegewas a reality. And Reverend John Ray Gray provided the substancefor those qualifications.
His appreciation for those who touched hislife runs deep. His very name was chosen in honor of men who touchedthe lives of his parents. Dr. Neely was a man from New York, stationedin the World War II Naval Base in Cayman Islands. He deliveredDr. Panton's mother and her eldest child. Similarly, Dr. Magnus,also a lifelong doctor in Cayman who is now deceased, deliveredyoung Neely.
"There is a host of other people Icould name who touched my life in some way and who provided mewith the tools and the support to make something of my life,"Said Panton. "But the larger point I would like to make isthat there are many opportunities for the youth of Cayman if theyestablish their goals and objectives in their teens."
If Dr. Panton could pass one message alongto the youth in Cayman, it would be a simple one. "Respectfor your elders."
He quotes Aristotle, "Those who educate children well aremore to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, thosethe art of living well."
And even now, with the roles reversed andclassrooms of students looking up to Dr. Panton to teach themthe ropes, he acknowledges that his role as teacher, surgeon orlecturer is an important one. "Whether it be setting up asurgical theatre, teaching the nuances of a technique or instillingthe need for good surgeons to also be good listeners and empathizers,it is very important to me that those who learn from me and myexperiences dedicate all they have to the goals they set for themselvesand to learn from their mistakes," said Panton.
Failure is not a part of Dr. Panton's vocabulary,whether it is in his personal or professional life. "I amnot saying I haven't experienced failure," explains Dr. Panton,who admits to failing Chemistry and Physics during his A-Levels."But coming from a small country I always felt when I failedanything I wasn't only failing myself but my whole country. Andnow, as a successful surgeon, it is my responsibility to set anexample."
Someday Dr. Panton would like to returnto Cayman and practice Surgery. And if he did, the people of Cayman,both young and old would gain not only an accomplished surgeonbut also a stellar role model. As Dr. Panton is living proof thatsheer ambition, dedication and drive can open many doors.