Client Cameo: Ben

Born and raised in what he refers to as “the flatlands of Chicago," Ben received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and then went on to the University of Chicago's combined Medical and PhD program. Receiving his MD in 1960 and a Biochemistry PhD in 1963, he also completed two years of residency in Internal Medicine. And to all that, add a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry in Mainz, Germany.

Somehow during all this educating, Ben became a Lt. Commander in the U. S. Coast Guard and was assigned to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. Competition for one of these NIH positions was fierce, since, as a member of the active military, the alternative might mean heading off to the Vietnam war. But since Ben had just received his PhD in biochemistry, it was clear that he was interested in research, and thus this prestigious NIH.

In 1964, Ben realized that after two years at the NIH, he would need one more year of residency in Internal Medicine and two additional years of training in Hematology (his chosen field for research) before he could apply for an academic position in a university medical school. As a consequence, Ben would be 35 years old before he got his “first real job. ” This plan was abandoned. That same year, Ben was assigned to the NCI's children's leukemia ward at the clinical center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was so moved by the experience that he left Internal Medicine and consequently trained in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. All of this is described in his 2016 nonfiction book: "Breaking Little Bones: The First Cures of Childhood Leukemia.”

From this point, Ben pursued a career in Pediatric Oncology: writing academic papers, teaching, conducting laboratory and clinical research, and caring for children with various malignancies. He was a visiting professor in the United States, Europe, and Japan and was recognized in the 1993-1994 edition of Who's Who in the World for his accomplishments

Over the years of his career, Ben spent a lot of time driving out to Colorado to escape the “flatlands” and city life of Chicago. He always dreamed of retiring to Colorado and jokes that it’s the one thing he got right in his life. He loves living in Colorado and spent the first ten years of retirement living in the wilderness area of Forbes Park in the Sangre de Cristo range at 9,300 feet. Then he moved to Boulder.

Ben has published both prose and poetry. He took up creative writing, nonfiction, and free-verse poetry later in life once his hearing decreased. One of his poems from his book, "The Magpie Cried,” resulted in Ben being named Senior Poet Laureate of Colorado in 2013. In addition to long-distance cycling, hiking, and other outdoor adventures with his grandchildren, Ben loves being out in nature and the wilderness when possible: skiing down mountains or hiking up them, white water rafting, sailing, soaring in a hot air balloon, riding on bikes or horseback.

Ben is also a lover of the arts. Although fulfilled by and attached to his labors in science, he found he needed to indulge in and enjoy music, art, literature (especially poetry), theater, history, philosophy (especially Taoism), -- and sunsets. He participated in music in grade and high school, learning to play the trumpet. In graduate school, he learned how to play the five-string banjo and had season tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has no talent for drawing and painting but loves to wander through art museums in both America and Europe and started collecting paintings as a young adult.

It is always such a pleasure to learn about our clients and the amazing lives they have led. We can learn so much from taking the time to open the door to their stories – leading to wonderful discoveries about their contributions to society, community, research, medicine, and more! We thank you, Ben, for sharing your story and we are happy and honored to provide you with grocery shopping and delivery, as well as transportation to medical appointments.