directory: dominic carver, m.d.

biography Dominic Michael Carver was the first of two sons born to Gary and Patricia Carver some 36 years ago in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Like many lower middle class families, Dominic’s parents did their best to manage their money wisely. Gary worked in construction by day and as a security guard by night. Patti, while an intelligent and somewhat educated woman, opted to run a daycare from the family home so that she could remain close to her sons. The Carvers were never able to afford really fancy luxuries, but they worked hard and managed to make ends meet. Their struggles and determination carried over into their parenting, and they both raised their children to believe that they could do anything and be anything they wanted just as long as they worked hard enough for it. This mentality helped form Dominic into the ambitious, if not often over-achieving, young man he would become.

When Dominic was five years old, his younger brother Brandon followed him into the world. Although initially put off by the new addition to the family, Dominic grew to love his baby brother and became a guardian of sorts to the boy. Dominic was always happy to help his mom take care of Brandon and often did things like read Brandon his favorite books and play with him. As the boys grew older, Dominic was the one who taught Brandon to play catch and was the one who told him all about girls. He always had a protective eye on his brother and stood up for him when it came to neighborhood bullies. The boys had a great bond, but it wasn’t all kittens and rainbows. Like most siblings, the two of them had their squabbles, and Dominic often got irritated with Brandon constantly following him around. By the time Dominic hit high school, he was no longer as interested as he once was in spending a whole lot of time with his little brother. Even though he would always be there where Brandon needed him, Dominic found school, friends, and girls more fascinating than entertaining his brother.

Coming from a working-class family inevitably gave Dominic a bit of an edge, which fueled his ambition throughout high school. He was a smart kid and he knew it. Although he played sports most of his young life and was naturally athletic, he excelled best in the classroom and was happiest there. The work ethic his parents taught him by example was evident in his academic career, and because he wanted to be more and have more than his parents were ever able to, Dominic pushed himself to the top of the class. All of that hard work paid off by the time he was ready to head off to college, winning him a few scholarships upon graduation.

After high school, Dominic attended University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where he continued to push himself to nearly the breaking point. Between classes, studying and managing to hold down a job in a local diner, Dominic had little time for a social life. He also had little patience for those who took what they had for granted, especially the handful of trust fund brats he encountered on campus. Despite his ego and the chip on his shoulder, Dominic remained a fairly pleasant person to be around. He was charismatic when he wanted or needed to be and his intelligence was difficult to hide. His hard work paid off again and he entered medical school at Duke University with dreams of becoming a surgeon and nothing was going to stop him from seeing that dream realized.

During his time at Duke, Dominic managed to meet Christina, a pretty local girl, at his regular Laundromat. What was originally meant to be a possible one-night-stand grew into a long-term relationship. Not long after graduating medical school, Dominic and Christina married, and had a relatively happy marriage – at first. However, Christina really should have known what she was getting herself into when she married him. It wasn't that Dominic was a bad husband; in fact, that wasn't the case at all. When he was home, he was as loving and attentive as any newlywed husband. But no matter where Dominic was, his mind was always on work. His insatiable ambition and devotion to his work was still very much a part of who he was, and it simply hadn’t faded away once he'd finished school and began working as a resident at Duke University Hospital. No, Dominic needed to be the best damn resident and surgeon possible. This meant extra shifts, late nights and sometimes whole weeks without being home more than an hour or two. Christina wanted more than Dominic was willing or able to offer at the time and she filed for divorce nearly four years after marrying him, leaving Dominic nothing more than a Dear John note when she left. Still single, Dominic is more or less married to his work, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get lonely. Beneath the ego and ambition, he is a man, after all.

About a year after his wife left him, Dominic completed his residency and was officially a doctor. He joined the surgical staff at Durham Regional Hospital and stayed with them for about two years. Dominic was happy working in a big city and was even toying with the possibility of taking his career further by applying for jobs at more renounced medical centers. However, when Dominic’s brother fell ill with cancer, Dominic quickly changed his focus. Instead of pursuing job opportunities to chase his bigger and better dreams, he thought of someone else for a change and secured a job at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington where Brandon was currently living. The medical center was a good one and although Seattle was a step up from Durham, Dominic's motivation to move there was entirely selfless. He wanted to be near his brother and it didn't matter where that was at.

During the course of Brandon’s treatment, Dominic insisted on staying at his brother’s house and taking up residence in the guest bedroom. Although he was working long hours at the hospital, Dominic offered all the support he could, helping Brandon’s wife care for her husband and their small children whenever he was home. It was a difficult time for all, but after surgery and months of chemotherapy and radiation, Brandon’s cancer went into remission.

Still affected by his brother’s brush with death, Dominic decided that he would stay in Seattle. He liked the city and even though it wasn’t where he’d always pictured for himself being at this point in his life, he was fine with it. He had managed to make some friends despite being busy with Brandon and also found that being close to family was enjoyable. So, after some shopping around, Dominic finally bought his own place and moved out of Brandon’s guest room. It’s been about three years since he arrived in Philadelphia and so far, he doesn’t have any plans to leave.