UNITY – When Dr. Duane Clark announced his retirement, he assured his patients they would still be well looked after. He had already started planning to sell the chiropractic office to a familiar name within the community.
Dr. Lyndon Jellison grew up in Unity, graduating from Unity Composite High School in 2017. Although he admitted he did not enjoy being in school, he started to get serious about his future when he was in Grade 10.
“I knew I wanted to do something that involved people and problem solving,” said Jellison.
His post-secondary education started with kinesiology, with plans to go into physiotherapy. Within his first year of university and working various manual labour jobs over the summers, Jellison said he felt like he wanted to do something more personable. It was around the time that he was about to start applying for physiotherapy school that he decided to explore other career paths.
“I started shadowing different chiropractors, including Dr. Clark. I gained an understanding of the day-to-day lifestyle and the relationships that are created within the profession. I came to the conclusion that chiropractic was a better fit for me,” he said.
After three years of kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Jellison was granted early admission to the Doctor of Chiropractic program at the University of Western States in Portland, Ore. The four-year program was condensed into three years, allowing students two-week breaks between each quarter and no summer breaks. Along with the rigorous academic schedule, Jellison attended many seminars and workshops while also being a representative of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Club.
The pandemic hit while Jellison was studying at UWS. The 140-student class was split into smaller cohorts of 12 for in-person labs. There, he met a classmate, Dr. Emma Klopchic. They began as friends for a couple of years before starting to date.
“I somehow convinced her to transition to a small-town person from her previous city lifestyle growing up in Waterloo, Ont.,” laughed Jellison.
Klopchic found it to be a bit of a culture shock but has admitted she is enjoying the town and people from Unity and surrounding area.
Making the move back to Unity was not a difficult decision for Jellison. While shadowing Clark, the conversation of life after university came up. Clark asked if the young doctor would like the opportunity to purchase the practice once he retired.
“I loved growing up in Unity, and to get the opportunity to begin my career in my hometown helping all the people I remember so fondly from my youth, it really seemed like a no-brainer for me,” he explained.
Jellison added that not many chiropractors get the opportunity to own a practice this early on in their career with an extensive knowledge of the patient base right off the bat. He said seeing his family regularly after being away for six years was also key to his choice to come back.
Within his brief time as the owner of Longevity Chiropractic & Wellness, the most common complaint his patients have is lower back pain associated with the SI joint. Jellison advises regular chiropractic care and a regime of stretches and exercise will alleviate most of that pain.
“The biggest challenge is when patients stop all chiropractic care once the pain is gone. If treatment is stopped too soon, flare-ups come up or the problem can worsen,” said Jellison.
Although the profession can have its challenges, seeing someone who is in excruciating pain start to feel better is one of the biggest rewards.
“We aim to not only get patients out of pain but to empower them while providing patients with this sense of autonomy is what makes our every day feel rewarding,” he added.
Jellison has always had the support of his parents, Wendal and Sandra, and siblings Nigel and Charnele.
“Their trust and belief in me were unwavering throughout the whole process and wouldn’t have been possible without them backing me the entire way,” said Jellison.
He also credits Clark for allowing him to be an intern before graduating. He added that Clark was helpful and his mentorship early on was paramount to his acclimation. He added the community has been extremely supportive and welcoming to both him and Klopchic.
Jellison says he has lots of plans for the future of Longevity, with the hopes of growing it into an all-in-one wellness centre with diverse holistic care. There have been talks of bringing massage therapists and acupuncturists into the business soon. As Jellison said “the sky is the limit,” in the long scheme of things at Longevity.
