(Photo: Dr. Ken Cameron, family physician in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and patient Julie Squarey)

Thirty-three years ago, Dr. Ken Cameron helped Mary Woodroffe deliver a healthy, beautiful baby girl named Julie.

Julie was the second of Mary’s four children – all delivered by Dr. Cameron. Over the three decades that followed, the doctor came to nurture a connection with three generations of the Woodroffe family, playing a vital role in their lives.

Many years later, Julie (now Julie Squarey) is still a patient at Dr. Cameron’s clinic. Julie says she cherishes the family connection that has developed over the years she has spent in his care.

“He’s been there my whole life,” says Julie. “Dr. Cameron has helped me and my family through some pretty important medical milestones.”

“Besides being my mother and father’s family doctor, he helped deliver me and my three siblings, Robert, Michelle and Stephanie, and is now a family doctor to Stephanie’s two sons,” Julie says. He was there for the family in tough times, too.

“He made house calls for my grandmother when she was ill with cancer even though she wasn’t his patient, and made a constant effort to stay in contact with my mother when she battled breast cancer,” despite the fact that she was in an oncologist’s care. Mary Woodroffe passed away 2009.

Dr. Cameron says he feels honoured to have had the unique opportunity to working closely with the Woodroffes for more than 35 years. 

“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked closely with the Woodroffe family for this long,” says Dr. Cameron. “It has allowed me to build and keep close relationships while continuing to provide care for many of them today.”

“I’ve been able to get to know them beyond their medical histories and more on an individual level,” he says. “It’s incredibly important to make that effort because realistically, if you don’t know the person you’re treating, you’ll never succeed in truly helping them.”

Julie, who lived and travelled all over the world as a young adult, describes Dr. Cameron as a home base for medical concerns. She says she always felt comfortable knowing she could count on him for exceptional care.

“[When] my parents moved to Ontario, [they] would often come back to Halifax for visits, always squeezing in an appointment with Dr. Cameron. I did the same as I got older. Wherever I moved and whenever I travelled, I kept Dr. Cameron as my primary caregiver.”

This level of trust and fluidity between patient and doctor comes as a result of many years of interaction and open communication. For Julie and her family it goes beyond that; Dr. Cameron’s genuine personality, non-judgmental demeanour and selfless efforts have given them unwavering faith that he has their well-being at heart.

“He’s always handled things with such care,” says Julie. “My father recalls him making extraordinary efforts to be there at the hospital to help with all of our births. My sister Stephanie loves that she never feels rushed when seeing him in the clinic and is impressed by his ability to stay on top of the latest research and education.”

“For me, it was immunizations as a baby, pneumonia as a teenager, mental health concerns as a young adult and, most recently, asthma. He has this amazing ability to take an uncomfortable or personal issue and make it a priority, always taking his time to discuss things with me, reassuring me that my concerns have been heard and my feelings are totally normal. Over the years he’s made me and my family feel so comfortable knowing he’s there, doing everything he can to help us.” 

Dr. Cameron takes great pride in the relationships he builds with his patients and the level of care he is able to provide as a result. It’s those long-lasting relationships that allow him to stay actively involved in his patients’ lives, providing care at various life stages and watching his patients develop over time.

“I love what I do,” he says. “Being able to help all my patients, as I’ve been able to do for Julie and her family, has been and continues to be the highlight of my career. It’s an absolute honour.”

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