(Photos courtesy: Dr. Carl Allamby/Cleveland Clinic) CLEVELAND, Ohio - Many people have taken interesting paths to the field of medicine.
Dr. Carl Allamby's story is different from most, however. Allamby’s journey to physician started with a dream as a child in East Cleveland, something he never forgot, even when he opened his own auto repair shop. "While thinking about the things we hold dear to our hearts, I think our health, our families and friends and our cars rank high on the list," Allamby told Fox News Digital in a recent phone interview. "When any of these fail us or suffer loss, emotions run high — and life as we know it can be turned upside down."ARMY VETERAN REGAINS ABILITY TO WALK WITH ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON AFTER PARALYSIS: ‘BEYOND WORDS'But the journey for him from longtime auto mechanic in Cleveland to dedicated medical professional was far from easy.Allamby's family moved to a small suburb of East Cleveland in the mid '70s, because it was one of few areas where his parents could afford to buy a home.
Decent-paying jobs were difficult to find, so his minister dad started working as a door-to-door salesman, while his mom stayed home to raise the family, which included his five siblings. "We faced economic hardships throughout my upbringing and were on welfare for what seemed to be my entire childhood," said Allamby.
He recalls many days or weeks that his family went without lights, gas or water."And if not for government handouts," he said, "we would have been without food on many occasions."Allamby added, "I remember having a desire at a young age to become a doctor — but my life circumstances led me to a much different place."Allamby also told Fox News Digital, "As you can imagine, the situation my family.