Drs. Megan (left) and Mailie (right) Harris took the same path to chiropractic, but their practices have taken different turns since. 30 Canadian Chiropractor December 2015 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Photo credits: Jodie Normore and Pierre Dubeau He had, however, sought help from a nearby chiropractor and relied on Bob and his mom to help him ease the pain. “My mother and I would work on my dad the best that we could, just trying to ease the pain,” Roy recalls. “My dad would instruct me as far as how the chiropractor would work on particular muscles – without adjusting it. “We did this for three months and I can just remember my arms being so tired, but I knew that my dad was hurting worse than I was so I continued on with it.” Roy remembers talking to his dad’s chiropractor and noting how enthusiastic he was about his profession and greatly encouraged him to consider chiropractic, especially after seeing how Roy had been helping his dad relieve his pain in his own little way. That conversation made an impression on Roy even as he went into pre-med at the University of Lethbridge in Al-berta. “When you go to premed, that’s just basically science without the actual medical part of it. And then I realized I had to find out what this chiropractic is all about so I went to CMCC. “I couldn’t believe how I was so in-tune with what they were saying and that was really in line with the ways that I thought about what health should be. So, I just said, ‘This is it.’ I wanted to become a chiropractor.” Roy has been practicing for 45 years in Rocky Mountain House, Alta. Thoughts of passing on the torch to his children may have crossed his mind, but Roy wasn’t one to force his own aspirations onto his children. Growing up, Bob and his two other siblings have always been under their dad’s chiropractic care and were getting regular adjustments. They were all involved in competitive swimming in their younger years. Bob fondly recalls that as a child he thought everybody’s father was a chiropractor. “I would tell my friends to go home so their dad could fix them if they’re sick or hurt – just get their dads to fix them.” Despite his parents’ resolve to bring up their children as naturally as possible and live their life by the principles of chiropractic, Bob never felt pressured to take up his father’s profession. “Dad never really pushed me or said I should become a chiropractor. He just allowed me to have my own choice and he was really supportive in whatever I want,” Bob says. The realization that he wanted to be a chiropractor, how-ever, did not come until Bob’s third year in university. Be-cause of his athletic background as a competitive swimmer, he was very interested in the care and performance of the human body. He remembers coming into his dad’s clinic one day to “shadow” him and see first-hand how his father works. “I saw how he interacted with patients and saw them come in, see the level of community. That was the first time I saw him practicing… that was the first time I saw him interacting with patients.” In 2001, Bob made his dad proud by graduating magna cum laude from Palmer West in San Jose, Calif. He has since been practicing in Calgary, about two hours south of where Roy is in Rocky Mountain House. DIFFERENT STROKES Megan and Mailie Harris may have a lot of things in com-mon, but each one has taken a slightly different route in practice. “We find that we attract patients that are similar to our personalities,” Megan notes. Because of her special interest in pregnancy care, Megan finds many new patients through referrals from OB-GYNs and midwives in her community. She also participates in the Welcome Wagon Baby Shower, which is a regular commu-nity event for new and expectant moms. Mailie’s community circle is a little different. Being a chiropractor has not prevented her from pursuing her other passion for cheerleading. In addition to her DC title, Mailie
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