The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama dentist Dr Hayward Romer, who suffered a stroke in March, died Tuesday evening at the Rand Memorial Hospital.

Dr Romer, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, passed away around 8.30pm. His death has left a huge void in the dental profession in Freeport.

Many of his patients and colleagues are saddened and shocked by the news and had been praying for him to get better.

Dr Romer had a stroke on March 18 and was unable to walk without assistance, use his right hand or speak clearly and fluently. He was airlifted to Florida, where he underwent two weeks of intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy at a rehabilitation centre.

The family had started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise some $80,000 for his medical expenses and further medical treatment in the US.

Kahrin Prince, his daughter, reported that her father had progressed well but later experienced a setback when his platelet count had dropped very low. He was taken to the hospital and given an emergency blood transfusion, but doctors also discovered that Dr Romer had heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a blood clotting condition.

Mrs Prince said that the insurance company refused to cover her father’s medical costs and the family was seeking to raise money to pay his medical bills and for a much needed surgical procedure in the US to treat the HIT.

“We expected him to get better,” said Ellody Russell, of Bain’s Dental Office in Grand Bahama. “I went to see him, and he showed improvement; he was in good spirits, and I was shocked to learn the news of his passing.”

Ms Russell said Dr Romer was “adored and well known in the community”.

“A lot of people considered him like family,” she said.

Dentist Dr Karen Bastian of Soft Touch Dental in Freeport said Dr Romer would be greatly missed in the Grand Bahama community.

“It is a hard thing for our community now because we are down one more dentist - it is not like we are overrun with dentists.

“He will be missed in this community because he had a service that no other dentist has. He had a walk-in part in his private clinic, and that is desperately needed on this island,” she said.

“Most of us don’t do that because we need to know what procedure we are going to do and when, but he had the art of walk-in dentistry down to a science. So, I know the Bahamian public will miss that.”

Dr Bastian said that Dr Romer also provided on-call service to the hotels.

“He also offered some services to hotels where he was called in - a lot of us don’t do that because we don’t know what hour they will call. They have on-call service at the Rand, but that is limited to only dentists that work at Rand, it is not private practice, and so their hands are tied in what they can do.

“Dr Romer definitely will be missed in this community because there was so much he did as far as dentistry goes with the patient population.”

Dr Bastian said Dr Romer was also willing to assist when called.

“We referred patients to one another, and if I were out of office, I would call to see if he could fit my patient in and he would call me and asked me the same thing.”

Samantha Forbes of Bahamas Orthodontic Centre said Dr Romer had served the Grand Bahama community well.

“He will be missed because he catered to many people in the community providing affordable dental care. The community has taken a significant loss in that regard and (his death) definitely will affect a lot of people. I have seen people who are very distraught about who they will go to now,” she said.

Dr Romer was also a mentor and coach/trainer to many young running athletes in Grand Bahama.

He is survived by his wife, Ellen, and three children.