This is a piece Aleta Smalley wrote for the ceremony honoring Dr. Conrad Marker last week.
My name is Aleta Smalley and Dr. Conrad Markert has been the doctor for all the Smalley family since he first began his practice in Stroud. I deeply regret that I cannot be here to personally witness the presentation of this much deserved honor that is being bestowed upon Dr. Markert today.
I consider him a dear friend and am thrilled at this recognition of him. But my great grandson of 13 years was selected to play in the National All-State Select Baseball Championship Tournament in Cypress, Texas and I feel privileged to be able to see him play.
If it weren’t for Dr. Markert I wouldn’t even be alive to experience this event.
I have always been taught to respect my elders, so since Dr. Markert is two months older than I, I feel compelled to share three examples of why my family thinks he is the smartest and most learned physician we have ever known. He is ever learning, and I would be willing to bet that even today his bedtime stories come from some medical book that is at his bedside.
It is thanks to Dr. Markert that I am alive today. When I was 39 years old, he diagnosed me as having cancer. He told me it was imperative that I have surgery immediately. I paid no attention to him telling him I needed to attend summer school at OSU to pick up some needed credits for the next school year for my teaching.
For lack of a better word, that man nagged at me telling me he was going to put a sign in my yard and my motherin- law’s yard telling everyone I had cancer. He would not shut up! I did attend college that summer but finally had the surgery.
After the operation, Dr. Markert’s partner who was Dr. William Jones came to my room and told me that I owed my life to Dr. Markert. He told me if I had waited another 30 days that the cancer would have spread through my entire body. Needless to say, that actually took my breath away. To this day I am grateful to a nagging doctor who wouldn’t shut up.
Another time, my 84year old grandmother was having issues with her heart. Dr. Markert went home, read in his beloved medical book, and came back telling her she needed a pacemaker. He sent her to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. They checked her and said she did not need a pacemaker. They kept her a few days and guess what? They decided she needed a pacemaker. Another plus for Stroud’s Dr. Markert.
The last example I would like to share is about a Prolia shot I had for supposedly building my bones. It is given to those who have arthritis.
It is injected every six months. I was given my first shot and things were fine. I took my second one and suddenly my body was itching all over. I was miserable but could find no relief. The dermatologist had no answer. Finally, I went to Dr. Markert and he read from his medical book in my presence and told me it was a reaction to the Prolia shot and would last for six months. I couldn’t believe it and told him surely he was wrong. Guess what? Six miserable months later after using every anti-itch cream available, the itching stopped. I couldn’t believe it.
I asked myself, “Why do I ever question Dr. Markert’s wisdom?” He truly is the best and there is no doubt in my mind today that as long as that guy can see, he will be reading and learning the latest because that is who he is! He is Stroud’s beloved doctor and one of the smartest, and we are thrilled that he is receiving this honor that he so richly deserves!
NOTE: Dr. G. Conrad Markert is the first recipient of the Heroes in Healthcare Award presented by AVEM Healthcare Partners (Stroud Hospital) and Stroud Community Foundation.