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By JENNIFER COMPSTON-STROUGH
Dr. Amanda K. Fisher believes that anyone can be successful if they put in the effort -- and that is something she does each day, raising her family, running a business and treating a wide variety of patients.
But she also plays another important role in the local community. As the Belmont County coroner, she can be called out to investigate a death at any hour of the day or night.
Fisher is 37 years old and has operated her own practice in Barnesville, Fisher Family and Sport Chiropractic, for 10 years. As the chiropractic physician there, she treats patients of all ages, as well as animals large and small.
At home, she and her husband have a family of their own.
"I am married to my best friend, Lance, and we are blessed with two amazing children, Luke, who is 6, and Lydia who is 4 1/2," she said. "We live just outside of Barnesville on a farm that has been in my husband's family for three generations."
And while caring for a family and a farm is enough to keep anyone busy day and night, Fisher also has a wide array of responsibilities related to her work as a chiropractor and as coroner.
"A typical work day for me consists of seeing a multitude of different types of patients, from newborns, athletes, and the elderly for a wide variety of conditions," she said. "One day a week, I see small animals in my office, and one day a week, you can find me making my way around the Ohio Valley for farm and stable calls for my large animal patients.
"During football and wrestling season I can often be found working at the sporting events in case of any injuries," she added. "I cannot say I have a 'typical' work day, however, because I am also the Belmont County coroner, which means that I can get called out of my office at any given time. Every day is something new, and that is part of why I love my job."
Working with so many different people under such varied circumstances means that she must keep their needs and feelings in mind at all times. That is why a motto she adopted from her childhood still serves her well: "Be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about."
"This is something that my Dad would say to me when I was young and I was frustrated or upset with someone. He always had this amazing ability to make me look at a situation from a different perspective," she explained. "I can honestly say that I probably didn't appreciate that ability enough when I was younger. However, now that I'm older, and maybe just a little wiser, this is something that I remind myself of frequently when interacting with as many people as I do on a daily basis."
Fisher's roots in the local community and the area's values prompted her and her husband to return here after college to build their life and raise their children.
"I grew up in the small town of Belmont and went to Union Local, and my husband grew up in Barnesville," she said.
"Throughout my post-high school education I lived in Columbus, New York, and Washington, D.C. After finishing school and deciding that we wanted children, we knew that we wanted them to grow up the same way that we did: in a smaller, rural area.
"Having our family here is one reason that brought us back to this area, but it's truly the small-town comradery that has kept us here. The people in this area truly care about one another and are always ready and willing to help their neighbors in need," she continued. "It's hard to explain to people who have never experienced it, but if you have then you know exactly what I am talking about. I do hear people complain sometimes about living in a small town, but after living in bigger cities I wouldn't change our decision. This is exactly where we belong, and I am so happy that our children are being raised here."
Not only is the region warm and welcoming, but it's an affordable place to live, operate a business and raise a family. That is one of the bright spots Fisher identified about the Ohio Valley.
"I am obviously partial to this area because it is where I grew up, but after living in so many other areas one thing that stands out to me is the low cost of living here compared to other areas. Other places/areas may offer a higher hourly wage or salary, but what is the cost of living like in those places?"
But regardless of where you choose to live and start your career, Fisher believes the same fundamental ideas apply for young people who want to build a successful career.
Her advice is this: "No one owes you anything. If you want something, put in the work and effort to make it happen. You can be as successful as YOU want to be. The one thing you can control is your effort. I read this in a book once and it has stuck with me, 'Work ethic takes no talent. It's a decision.'"
In addition to her work and family life, Fisher has been active with local community groups including Rotary and veterans' organizations such as the VFW in the past.
Fisher said she learned a valuable lesson about seeking guidance from others early in her career.
"When I first graduated, I took a job as an associate chiropractor working for another doctor who had been in practice for several years. What initially seemed to be like a job opportunity that was 'too good to be true' turned out to indeed be too good to be true. Being a new graduate with very little extra money I decided to forego having a lawyer review my contract and instead I signed it without anyone else looking at it. In hindsight I wish I would have had a lawyer, as well as other professionals who had been in practice longer than me, review that contract.
"A lesson that I learned, and needed to, was that it is OK to ask others with more experience for their help, guidance, and advice. In fact, those people are often your greatest resource. Even now, 10 years into owning and operating my own office, there are times when I reach out to my colleagues for their opinions and/or guidance on things. I also realized that I never wanted that to happen to anyone else, so I have been serving as a chiropractic student and new graduate mentor for the past three years in hopes to help my future colleagues not end up in a similar situation."
She also believes there is an important place for chiropractic treatment in the local area. In fact, it is something that she thinks could help reduce the impact of the opioid epidemic in the region.
"It is my hope that chiropractic care continues to be a leading form of holistic health care for the families in our community. There has been a shift from medical providers initially providing pain medication to their patients for various symptoms to these same providers now referring their patients for chiropractic care, physical therapy, and massage therapy," she said. "Amid such a terrible opioid epidemic I hope that this shift continues and that myself and colleagues can continue to play a vital role in combating residents in our valley becoming addicted to prescription pain medications."
Fisher is happy with the success of her practice so far and looks forward to serving local patients for many more years in the future.
"I am thankful for my patients trusting me to care for them, as well as to care for their children," she said. "I look forward to the opportunity to care for many more generations to come."