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A Dream Redefined: A Chiropractor's Story

An experience his grandmother had during surgery caused Hawk Ridge Family Chiropractic owner Dr. Daniel Roach to change his path from medicine to chiropractic.

After his grandmother was permanently injured due to a mistake made by a doctor in a routine surgery, Dr. Daniel Roach, owner of , changed his plans to go to medical school and become a physician and chose to be a chiropracter instead.

Roach graduated in the top 10 percent of his class at Warrenton High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Lindenwood University, where he was also a tutor for anatomy, physiology and microbiology.

He later earned a second bachelor’s degree in human biology from Logan University, and then a doctorate of chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic.

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“There I received the honor at the top of my class for having done the most adjustments/treatments and having helped the most new patients,” Roach said.

New Inspiration and a Change in Plans

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Roach said that during his last week at Lindenwood, a representative from Logan College of Chiropractic came to speak to his class.

“I was interested in the chiropractic profession but not enough to change all my plans, retake tests, pass boards and so on,” Roach said.

Roach said that soon after that visit, his grandmother had a routine spinal surgery to repair a herniated disc in her back.

“During the operation, the physician severed her spinal cord and left her paralyzed from her waist down,” Roach said. “After learning this, I decided that I would rather be in a profession where I could help people with these issues before surgery was necessary, rather than giving them medications to mask the pain.”

He said that while medications are necessary, as are doctors and other healthcare providers, he believes that certain conditions should be handled “conservatively” first.

A Dream Realized

Roach and his wife Nicole, who serves as Hawk Ridge’s office manager, opened Hawk Ridge Family Chiropractic on Jan. 1 of this year.

“Since opening we've helped over 400 patients in less than a year and performed over 3500 chiropractic adjustments,” Roach said. “Our motto is ‘Getting the sick well and keeping the well from getting sick,’ and this really summarizes what we are about.”

He said that he and his staff help people who come in for acute pain that is typically treated by chiropractors, such as headaches, neck pain and low back pain, but they also do a variety of other things.

“For instance, we work with sinus and allergy problems, hip, shoulder, knee and foot problems and digestive issues such as Chron's and irritable bowel syndrome,” Roach said. “But what I love working with is kids.”

Roach said that the clinic has often helped children with issues that traditional medicine doesn’t typically treat effectively.

“We've helped many kids with issues that no other profession has helped with such as colic and relux in babies, ear infections, ADHD, and autism and Aspergers,” he said. “We are a five star award-winning office for patient care and customer service.”

A Balancing Act

In addition to owning and running Hawk Ridge Chiropractic, the Roach family has two boys, Ethan, almost 4, and 18 month old Isiah.

Roach said it can be tough to balance a family and owning a business, but he and his wife manage pretty well, thanks to creativity and a little help from the grandparents.

"We are blessed to have Nicole's parents watch our kids during the day while we work," he said. "But we make time to take the kids to the park and go for walks, and they really like Playtime Party Center in Wentzville."

Giving Back

Roach said he is passionate about his work as an advocate for children.

“We’ve dedicated this entire year to raising money for different children's organizations,” Roach said. “First quarter, we raised over $1,000 for the Children's Cancer Society.”

He said the clinic also raised money for the YMCA Strong Community Campaign, which helps cover the costs for kids who would otherwise be unable to afford to go summer camp and do classes at the gym.

“The last part of the year, we are working with The Child Center, here in Wentzville,” Roach said. “They help children that have been victims of abuse.”

The clinic raises money in a very unique way, Roach said.

“If a patient is interested in making an appointment, in exchange for a minimum donation of $15 to The Child Center, I am waiving my first day fees,” he said. “This includes a consultation to go over medical history, an examination to find the cause of the problem, any x-rays that are necessary and a report of findings, so I can explain what's going on. That is all included in the donation.”

Roach said this makes it a win-win situation, “because people can find out if I'm able to help them with their problem and at the same time, give to a great cause.”

Hawk Ridge Chiropractic is located at 6251 Ronald Reagan Dr. in Lake St. Louis. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the clinic at 636-614-2139 or visit the website.

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