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As Dr. Larry Nixon sat in a college medical ethics class listening to his professor fire off questions about reproductive rights and debate just who had the right to reproduce, he squirmed uncomfortably.

One of his classmates argued against the rights of teen mothers to reproduce, stating that it produced negative outcomes for their children. Nixon refuted the remark with a quote from Booker T. Washington: "It is not necessarily where you stand that is a measurement for success, but how far you have come."

As a medical student, Nixon had already come a long way on his journey to becoming an anesthesiologist with Surgical Anesthesia Associates in Jackson. That day's class debate hit a little too close to home as the instructor spoke about the burden transferred to taxpayers by teen mothers and high school dropouts. His parents were both high school dropouts who raised their family, which consisted of a younger sister and two of his father's younger brothers, in a South Carolina neighborhood where the prospects of going to college, much less staying in high school, were grim. Following the lead of the wrong crowd, Nixon failed to apply himself in school until his senior year when his father took him aside to provide some enlightenment on the importance of getting an education.

"He explained the lack of financial and educational opportunities available for him growing up were readily available to me," recalled Nixon. "I suddenly realized that I had failed to take advantage of what my ancestors fought and died for. I realized I had a responsibility."

Flipping burgers 30 hours a week after school suddenly seemed less appealing to the high school senior. He added to his busy schedule a phlebotomy class at a local community college. That classroom experience led Nixon to volunteer in an internal medicine office, where he conquered his doubts about becoming a physician. Through a series of seized opportunities to study medicine outside of his classes, he made the gradual progression to obtaining his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., followed by an internship in family medicine at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in Spartanburg, S.C.

During a surgical rotation, curiosity led him to explore the realm behind the drapes, where he met a pediatric anesthesiologist who later became his advisor. His decision to pursue a career in anesthesiology was further confirmed by a rotation in cardiothoracic surgical critical care at Emory University.

"I was responsible for assessing and monitoring postoperative patients," explained Nixon. "I worked late into the evenings and never realized it until I returned home."

In June 2005, he completed a residency in anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Emory University.

Two months later, he and his high school sweetheart and wife, Dee, and their then 2-year-old son, Jaden, set up house in Jackson — a move that almost didn't happen. Nixon had several job offers in Atlanta and had already begun house hunting there when a recruiter from Jackson called him.

"God led me here. I was reluctant to go on the interview but something told me to give it a chance," Nixon said. "I stayed for four days and thoroughly enjoyed my visit."

Not long after moving to Jackson, Nixon began to focus on how he and his wife could make a difference to families like theirs, whose children suffered from sickle cell disease. The Nixon family discovered that Jaden had sickle cell disease (SCD) after his birth, when the doctors performed a screening. SCD is an inherited blood disorder affecting approximately 80,000 Americans, making it the most common inherited blood disorder. SCD has the potential to affect every organ system. Severe pain, life-threatening pneumonia and death are a few of the complications. To make matters worse, children affected by SCD between the ages of 2 and 20 have an 11 percent risk of having a stroke.

Nixon and his wife turned their fight to cure their son's disease into something the entire state could benefit from by cofounding the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit corporation registered as a Mississippi charity and dedicated to fighting sickle cell disease and helping families who it affects.

"I am a physician and my wife is a nurse. We believe that it's our spiritual calling to be leaders in the fight against sickle cell disease," said Nixon. "The foundation's mission is to improve the lives of families who suffer from SCD through education, family support and research. The ultimate goal is to support efforts aimed at providing a universal cure for SCD."

In addition to accepting donations, the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation holds annual events such as a Valentine's wine tasting, a birthday bash on May 5, 2007 and a walk and gala held each September in honor of National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. The foundation's support is primarily directed to the sickle cell clinic at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC), the only educational institution in Mississippi that dedicates resources to serving the sickle cell community. In addition to conducting UMC's ongoing sickle cell research, the clinic offers a variety of services for sickle cell patients, including a successful bone marrow transplant program.

Between family, the foundation, work and his involvement in his church, New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Nixon claims he doesn't have time to do anything else. However, he does make time to mentor college students.

"I believe it's the responsibility of everyone to be educators. It's the only way that a society can perpetuate knowledge and culture. Furthermore, someone has to take care of me when I'm sick," said Nixon, with a smile.


March 2007

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