By FRED KRONER
There are parents, the overbearing ones, who try to influence and guide child’s activities for their own selfish interests.
There are also parents, without any intent, whose influence nevertheless captivates a child to an extent that it sparks a lifetime interest.
Kevin Gray and his siblings were raised in that atmosphere on a farm near Cullom, about an hour north of Mahomet.
“Growing up, I think like most boys, I wanted to be an astronaut,” Gray said. “I really liked sleeping outside at night and looking at all the stars.”
The long-time Mahomet resident is not an astronaut, but has reached for the stars in his chosen career.
His profession can be traced back to his mother and her actions late in his teen-aged years.
In November, Gray celebrated his 40th year as a chiropractor, all in Mahomet.
His story starts with the role that his mother played when Gray was a freshman pre-med major at the University of Illinois.
He chose the UI because, “I thought I would follow my brothers and sister there and do something in the healthcare field,” Gray said.
It was also a short commute when he wanted to return home.
“My mother’s health began to deteriorate badly,” Gray recalled. “She had had health problems since she was 25 years old because at that time, she received second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of her body.
“During my freshman year, her breathing problems worsened to the extent that she couldn’t walk 15 feet without having to stop to catch her breath.”
Her lungs had been permanently scarred when she was burnt.
“My mom’s doctors had done a remarkable job keeping my mother alive when she was burnt and helping her with all health problems since then,” Gray continued. “Now however, Mom’s body was not responding to their care.
“Things finally came to a turning point when my dad won a cruise and my mom was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to go because of her health.”
By chance, his mom met a chiropractor at a social event and they talked.
“No one in my family had ever heard of chiropractic health care or knew anything about what it involved,” Gray said. “This chiropractor explained what chiropractic health care was all about and how it might be able to help her.
“My Mom decided to give it a try. She had to drive close to 80 miles round trip three times a week for a month but it was worth it because it worked.”
When it came time for the cruise to depart, both parents, Paul and Phyllis Gray, were on board.
“The results my mom received were amazing to me,” Gray said. “She was not only able to go on the cruise, but her overall health also greatly improved.”
After the trip, his mother resumed her chiropractic care.
“For the next six months, she went on a wellness care program of monthly visits to help keep her renewed health,” Gray said.
Her turnaround was so significant, Gray shifted his interest away from becoming an eye doctor.
“Chiropractic did not give my mom new lung tissue,” he emphasized. “What chiropractic care was able to do not only for my mom but also for others, was to help her body function the best it could with the capacity it had.
“After watching all this take place, I decided to become a chiropractor.”
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Gray completed three years of academic work at the UI in two years, and was then able to move fast-forward with his ambitions.
“I was accepted early to the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa,” Gray said. “There, I sped through school, doing five years in 3 ½ and graduated in June of 1980.”
Five months later, he was in business for himself.
“On November 3rd, 1980, I opened my practice in Mahomet in the Eastwood Mini Mall area,” Gray said.
He was the first chiropractor to work in Mahomet and he stayed at that original location for 10 years.
In 1990, he relocated a brand-new building at 207 E. Oak Street, in Mahomet, and said he has, “enjoyed practicing here in my building ever since.”
When Gray was looking for a site to start his practice, Mahomet had the criteria that he sought.
“Mahomet had three things I was looking for,” Gray said. “Close to the University of Illinois (so he could regularly attend football and men’s basketball games as well as games in women’s volleyball), a nice golf course, and a nice smaller town feeling.
“I live and die following the Fighting Illini basketball and football teams.”
It was important, Gray added, to set up his operation in a community similar to where he was raised.
“I didn’t want to open in Champaign-Urbana because I felt I wouldn’t get to know my patients like I would in a smaller town setting,” he said. “I grew up in a small town and really liked knowing everyone and that is what I wanted for my practice.”
Forty years later, he knows his decision was a wise one.
“When I opened my practice, I never thought I would be still practicing after 40 years,” Gray said. “The years have flown.
“I remember my 25th anniversary, we had an open house at Auggie’s (on Prairieview Road). It was a great time, and I was so sorry to lose Auggie’s.”
The longer that Gray worked, the more he discovered his job was a labor of love.
“As the years went by, I found that going to work was not work at all,” he said. “I really love what I am doing and that is why I think I am still practicing.
“Being with my patients and helping them is so rewarding that I actually enjoy going to work and I don’t plan on retiring any time soon.”
The success stories are what keep him eager to stay on the job.
“One of the best things about being a chiropractor is getting to know my patients and seeing them get better every day,” he said.
Gray does hope, though, to find a little extra time for one of his passions, and spend more time at the golf course.
“I try to get out regularly, but don’t seem to get out as much as I would like,” he said.
***
Though he had all of his coursework completed when he opened his Mahomet clinic, Gray has found the succeeding years to be ones to continue his education.
“When I first opened my practice in Mahomet, I have to say, I was not a good businessman,” Gray said. “I didn’t put ads in the paper ahead of time, didn’t go out into the neighborhoods and introduce myself, or anything to let people know I was coming.”
And yet, somehow the word spread.
“That first day, my first patient – Luelle – just showed up and it has been a wonderful time ever since,” Gray said. “I think that once people experience what chiropractic can do for them, they become great advocates for chiropractic.
“Over my time here in Mahomet, I have seen chiropractic become a known profession that many now benefit from.”
Lifestyle trends have played a role as his business expanded.
“I have seen people think more about becoming healthy naturally and then staying healthy and that fits exactly into what I do as a chiropractor,” said Gray, who has a great respect for medical professionals. “I have three brothers who are MDs, and MDs do great work.
“My living sister and my wife are both RNs and you cannot do anything but praise them for all they do for patients in their care.”
Gray believes there is room for each group to co-exist for the greater good of their patients.
“Both medical doctors and chiropractors are here to help our patients as much as we can,” Gray said. “However, chiropractors work with the body in a more holistic approach to health.
“We really can work together to help our patients get the best health care possible.”
Gray has seen significant changes in his profession during his working years.
“Chiropractic has changed over the past 40 years,” he said. “When I graduated, the chiropractic adjustment that we use to correct vertebral subluxation was the prime reason to become a chiropractor and to see a chiropractor.
“Over the years I have seen part of the profession try to expand our role in healthcare.”
Gray is not opposed to change, but said it should be exercised with caution.
“Some of that, I agree, has helped us help our patients more, but we still need to stay with our primary purpose, correct the vertebral subluxation,” he said. “I am concerned that my profession may forget the reason it has been so successful in helping people.
“I hope that my profession always remembers that its roots lay in getting and keeping the spine in alignment so that the nervous system can work correctly and keep the body functioning at as near 100 percent as it can.”
***
Gray is a total advocate for chiropractic care. When he is not treating patients, he is a patient himself.
“I regularly get my spine adjusted, every two weeks,” Gray said. “We all constantly stress and strain our backs each and every day. I find that if I do not get adjusted at two weeks, I start to get pains and problems cropping up.
“Everyone is different, but through the years, I have found that most people need to have their spine checked and treated anywhere from two- to five- or six-weeks. It depends on your job, stress level, traumas and age.”
Even though 40 years and almost three months have passed since his first professional working day, one aspect of his practice remains the same.
“Chiropractic is still not a mainstream known healthcare system,” Gray said. “I have to do a lot of explaining to most new patients as they have mostly been informed about the medical model healthcare system.
“The thing I mostly stress to my new patients is that chiropractic care is a natural holistic approach to health. We do not introduce foreign substances into the body to mask or cover up your systems.
“We use the Chiropractic Adjustment to free up the body’s own natural healing ability so that the body can heal itself. This type of care works with most of my patients.”
Those patients have run the full gamut of age.
“I have treated one-day old babies and they respond beautifully,” Gray said. “My oldest patient was 105 years old and I treated her along with her daughter, granddaughter, great grandson, and great great granddaughter.
“That was something special.”
Gray acknowledged that chiropractic care is not for everyone.
“Over the years, I have come across many patients that I have had to refer out for medical care,” he said. “One of the first things I do is to examine any new patient that comes to me to find out if I can help them.
“It is of no use to me or the patient if they come in and do not have a spinal problem that I can work on to help.”
For most people, however, Gray said, chiropractic care is “a great option. They just don’t know how it can benefit them.”
He said there are parallels to many facets of life.
“We all think about brushing our teeth; we have got to keep a great smile,” Gray said. “We regularly check our eyes, our heart, our mind, but unless we have some problem, most people don’t realize how important their spine is.”
He said one example helps to illustrate his point.
“Think about this: What do you value in life?” he asked. “My family, my faith and my friends are so important to me. However, how can I enjoy my family, or practice my faith, or entertain with friends if I don’t have my health?
“Why do people wait until they get in such bad shape they can’t stand up straight or look over their shoulder? If I could change the world, I would have people understand that yes, their teeth are important, but they can be replaced. Your spine cannot.”
He emphasized that it’s not necessary to wait until adulthood to seek chiropractic care.
“We take our children to have their teeth checked at least once a year,” Gray said. “We get annual physical exams by our MDs, but never do they get their spine checked unless something bad happens.
“People need to understand that our bodies are controlled by our nervous system and that system can be compromised. Pressure on the nerve roots distort our nerve’s ability to communicate with the rest of our body.
“We have all had weak signals on our cell phone where you only hear part of the conversation. This is what can happen to your nerve roots and this is exactly what chiropractic care takes care of.”
While Gray is not yet ready to stop sharing his message and enter the retirement phase of his life, he has made cutbacks.
“I have been asked by lots of different people if I am going to retire soon and I say I don’t think so,” he said. “I have reduced my patient hours to three days a week, but I truly enjoy what I do, so I think I will keep going to work because it isn’t really work for me.”
His attitude is also one that works well for his myriad of patients.
Love this article on Dr Kevin Gray chiropractic services. Everything Kevin states is true of his love of the profession, it’s benefits and limitations, his deep care for his patients, his love of family, faith and friends. Thankful to be counted among his many patients and friends. Congratulations Kevin and Pat on this 40 year milestone!