The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

MANY in my generation grew up watching the Cosby Show. We couldn’t wait for new, weekly episodes to see what the Huxtables - a TV Show family - was up to next. The Huxtables gave us the image of a solid African American family structure. Because of this, little black boys and girls had positive people who looked like them to emulate on television.

Dr Kenneth Kemp, like me, grew up watching the Cosby Show. The ever-important figure that Bill Cosby played is the strong black male and father figure. Kenneth wanted to be like Cliff Huxtable – a doctor – and he was ten years-old when he made up his mind to become one when he grew up. Initially, Kenneth assumed that Cliff was a paediatrician, because of how well he dealt with children. So, that is what he determined he wanted to be. He later found out that Cliff represented an OB/GYN.

Over the years, just like any child, the young Kenneth’s dream took shape in his mind in many ways. At one point, Kenneth imagined himself as a cardiologist, because of a paternal family history of congenital heart defects. But it wasn’t until his grandmother developed a small wound on her foot that gradually became infected and a surgeon amputated her entire leg, that he felt the desire to become a foot and ankle surgeon.

“My grandmother was never the same after losing her leg and she died less than five months later,” he shared.

“I was too young to help her, but I was determined to help anyone else that found themselves in her position.”

Fast forward to today, Dr Kenneth Kemp is an outstanding doctor, dubbed “the Prince of Podiatry” by the late Hollywood actor, Sir Sean Connery. The film star is just one of many A-list celebrities, professional athletes, supermodels, ambassadors, and other influential people whom he has had the pleasure of caring for, and in some cases, becoming their friend.

It’s because Kenneth does his work from the heart. His life was changed by his grandmother’s ordeal and subsequent passing. He continued to learn and grow with his goal in mind.

Kenneth was graduated from St John’s College with honours. He received the Principal’s Distinction award, the Prefect award, a Deportment award, Junior Achievement award, and an honourable mention for meritorious development in English Language and Literature. In addition to that, Kenneth was the first-ever recipient of the Fr Dunston Burrows award.

Through diligence in high school, he created the perfect launching pad for himself to even be able to consider medical school. The student who knows where he or she is going is likely to give school their best shot, knowing that their grades will ultimately affect the outcome of their future.

With great grades and accolades in hand, Kenneth was one step closer to his dream of becoming a doctor. He applied to York University in Canada, and was accepted. There, the young Kenneth continued to flourish in academics. He served as a student ambassador and was graduated as a Presidential Honour’s recipient for student excellence with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

At this point in his tertiary education, Kenneth would not have had the chance to even dabble in his chosen professional specialty. However, an incident occurred which cemented his vision.

“It wasn’t until I injured my ankle playing soccer and was repetitively afflicted by arch pain and shin splints because of my flat feet that I truly appreciated my calling,” Kenneth told me.

“I had to see a foot specialist and received orthoses (medical grade shoe insoles), which I still wear to this day.”

Relief from pain and the ability to be mobile is a gift that Kenneth appreciated as a university student. He was able to be on the receiving end of the kind of help he wished to give the world; and he had a chance to see just how effective podiatry could be.

With this new perspective, Kenneth continued his studies at the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Toronto, where he spent two years. Kenneth, became class president, then went on to do a year internship at Ottawa General Hospital. He successfully passed his Canadian Medical Board examinations and received his licence to practise podiatry in Canada. He also received the Ron Bentley Memorial Award of Excellence.

Kenneth eventually transferred to Podiatry Medical School at Temple University in Philadelphia. Coincidentally, Temple is Bill Cosby’s alma mater. Things were really becoming full circle in Kenneth’s life. The black excellence that he saw on TV, now became his reality, and he had no intention of stopping.

His parents Kenneth and Angela Kemp are his greatest inspiration. In addition to pushing him in his educational pursuits, they showed him the importance of his family and country. His father, now deceased, hailed from Eleuthera. His mother, formerly a Cartwright, hails from Long Island. Together, they were a formidable team and source of support for Kenneth.

Despite Temple’s intense curriculum, Kenneth came out soaring. He was graduated with the National Podiatric Medical Association (NPMA) Excellence in Research award, the American Association of Podiatric Practice Management (AAPPM) award and the Jay Robert Rappaport Humanitarian award.

“It was difficult at first, adjusting to being in the United States after having lived in Canada for seven years and the curriculum was intense,” Kenneth recalls.

“The one thing that never got easier about progressing, was leaving people behind. I left my Nassau friends and moved to Toronto; then left those friends and moved to Ottawa; then Philadelphia; and then New York. The journey was often lonely, but I always had my family who were so proud of me. They encouraged me to constantly push forward.”

While at Temple, Kenneth had to figure out where he would pursue his surgical residency. The only hospital in the United States that Kenneth had ever really heard of notably, was Mount Sinai in New York. So, while his friends selected over ten places to interview, he only selected Mount Sinai. Kenneth was told that he was making a grave error. So, to appease his advisor, he selected one other hospital in New York.

“During that internship,” he said, “I slept in the hospital for one month, because I didn’t want to ask my parents for more money to secure another apartment.”

Mount Sinai is ranked in the top ten hospitals in the United States, and securing an internship here would be super difficult. Fortunately, Kenneth’s grades and board scores were good enough as an international student for the hospital to select him for a one-month internship.

“The night before I was scheduled to travel to New York and start my internship, the guy who was renting me an apartment called to demand an additional $1,000.00 be transferred to his account before morning,” Kenneth said.

“I hadn’t signed a lease and he had someone in front of him offering that amount. Rather than wait until morning for me to get there, he needed me to match it immediately or I would lose the place. Even if I could get the money from my parents in time, I had no way of getting it to him before the end of the day; so I walked away thinking I could get something else easily.”

“The next morning, I travelled to New York hoping that during my break, I could call around and sign a one-month lease. However, the entire day I was swamped with oral presentations, clinic work, rounding on patients in the hospital and assisting with surgical cases. Before I knew it, the day was almost over and with no place to stay and no money for a hotel, I commuted back to Philadelphia.”

“Every day I got up at 4:30am; got ready; walked ten minutes from my campus apartment to catch the bus; took the bus to the subway station; took the subway to the Amtrak train station; and at 6am, I took a one-and-a-half-hour train ride from Philadelphia to New York. From there, I took a subway to the 103rd street station nearest the hospital and walked to work to start rounding on all the hospital in-patients on our service by 8am. Then there were morning didactic learning sessions, then surgical cases, Emergency Room calls, clinics, and evening didactic learning sessions. Then, I took the 8:30pm train and commuted back home to Philadelphia. This went on every day for 3 weeks.”

“By the middle of the third week, my body was numb. I was a zombie running on three to four hours of sleep every night. On weekends, I would fall asleep; sleep all day Saturday; and be barely able to move on Sunday. On the Friday of my third week interning, everything nearly fell apart. Up until that point, no one knew that I was commuting. But on Friday, our Operation Room case ran over time so we didn’t finish our evening didactic session until after 10pm. The last train to Philadelphia was at 11:15pm and there was no way that I could make it in time by walking to the bus stop and taking the bus to the train station, so when one of the residents offered me a ride home, I begrudgingly said yes. Then when he asked where I was staying, I said Philadelphia. He brushed it off and said, ‘No, I know you go to school in Philadelphia, but where are you staying in New York?’ I explained that I was commuting back and forth because I couldn’t find an apartment and he just said, ‘Wow’. The rest of the car ride was silent.”

“The following Monday morning when I got to the hospital, that same resident saw me and told me not to round on the patients because the director of the programme wanted to see me as soon as possible. I was terrified that I had lost my only opportunity to match at a great hospital for residency. The director asked me why I didn’t say anything to anyone, and I said that it was because I didn’t want them to think that I was irresponsible and incapable of securing an apartment. But to my surprise, he congratulated me for ‘never complaining and for showing up to work before all of his other residents, being prepared for every surgical case and exemplifying what hard work and determination looks like’. He gave me the rest of the week off.”

Kenneth ultimately got the job and within two years, he was selected as the Chief Resident for Foot and Ankle surgery. He left Mount Sinai with three Crystal awards of excellence, two certificates and a standing ovation from every physician that he worked with.

With a blooming career in America, Kenneth decided to come back home to The Bahamas and be of service to his country. For a time, Kenneth was partners in Vasyli, Kemp & Co, before he went on to establish his own practice. He continues to sell the Vasyli orthotics exclusively in his office, carrying on the legacy of Dr Phil Vasyli, who was found murdered in his Old Fort Bay mansion in March, 2015.

His practice, Bahamas Foot and Ankle, is located in the Caves Village and has been in operation for nearly a decade. He has treated billionaires as well as those with low incomes, and he always aims to provide the same level of care and stellar service, no matter the patient. He never realised that by following his passion, it would open up opportunities for him that he never expected.

Since August 2021, Kenneth has shared some of the most compelling medical stories that he has ever encountered over the course of his career in his health column: ‘The KDK Report’. It appears every Monday in The Tribune and online at www.thekdkreport.com.

Since returning home and practising podiatry, Dr Kenneth Kemp has served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years. For the past ten years, he has also served as the vice chairman for the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Foundation. Kenneth received one Crystal award from the Health Council and three awards from the PMH Foundation during his tenure for providing years of dedicated service.

“If it’s something that you’re truly passionate about, work hard and never give up,” Kenneth said when asked to share advice with young people.

“Always treat patients respectfully and success will follow.”

Today, Kenneth is carving out new ways to be of service to his community. He intends to form the KDK foundation “with a focus on helping sick kids and doing my part to build my community”.