Alum takes profession overseas and back again

One never knows where a career path may lead, but in some instances it might just include places more distant than one ever thought possible. Such was the case for Dr. Lon Johnson, a 1983 Cleveland graduate who practiced in the Kansas City area and in Eureka Springs, Ark., after graduation. While contemplating career possibilities in Nevada, he learned of an overseas practice that was in need of a chiropractor, so he took the job. He spent the next 14 years in Croatia.

Johnson said it all happened very quickly. His contacts in Croatia were in desperate need of a chiropractor and were not to be denied. So insistent were they in their desire to have him, they were prepared to send him a ticket the next day if he committed to the position. There were some administrative details to address, including securing a passport; but shortly thereafter, he was en route to Europe with his adjusting skills and only $200 in his pocket.

After he arrived and got settled, he went right to work in his new surroundings, seeing 70 patients on his first day of practice. He began working at a practice near the Adriatic Sea, but eventually moved inland to the capital city of Zagreb, home to about a million people. He discovered that others in the health-care community presented themselves as chiropractors, but few were professionally trained in the discipline and lacked proper credentials to make such claims.

“I was one of about 20 chiropractors in the country,” Johnson said. “I received a lot of referrals from medical doctors because they wanted a real ‘degreed’ chiropractor.”

As he possessed the proper qualifications, Johnson enjoyed a level of preferred status. Many in the populace held a level of distrust for traditional medical care and Johnson was something different. He was able to allay the fears of some simply by providing a viable option to the allopathic medical community.

His skills became apparent to those in the area, and his patient list soon included some unlikely people.

“I became well-known for treating discs successfully without surgery, ” Johnson said. “I even saw the head of Croatia’s largest pharmaceutical company, Pliva.”

As for the country itself, Johnson found it to be a place comprised of small towns mostly, which he found “kind of refreshing.” However, during his time there, Croatia began to show more encroachment from the west as American eateries such as McDonald’s and Subway were becoming more prevalent.

Nevertheless, it retained the core elements of its old-world charm and, according to Johnson, he was able to see much of that region because he could travel “on a dime.” Venice, Vienna and Budapest were all just four hours away, and Sarajevo and Belgrade were other preferred destinations that were fairly close.

The economic downturn and some health concerns brought him back to the United States. But he looks forward to “re-connecting with family and old friends.” He now prepares to turn the page on the next chapter of his career, but he faces the same uncertainties that all practitioners face.

“I had hoped to start a small practice,” Johnson said. “But there are some pretty big road blocks. . . the normal start-up cost.”

He is excited about what the future holds, and he hopes to give back to the profession, perhaps in the classroom. But for now he is planning his next step and looking forward to the possibility of seeing some familiar faces at the Cleveland Homecoming festivities Oct. 11-13. Although he said he can only recall attending Homecoming once since he left the College, the notion of coming home means something slightly different this year.

This year he returned to the United States and he looks forward to a return to his professional roots. As member of the class of 1983, he will celebrate his 30-year class reunion. Even after the passage of so much time, Johnson still speaks warmly of the College and his class, describing his group as ‘a great class,” and calling them “all good people.”

His time at the Rockhill campus making friends and earning his chiropractic degree remains a most memorable part of his life. When asked how he recalled those years, he paused, and shared a few words that summarize why the bond with one’s class is so important.

“It was exciting, high energy . . . very fondly remembered days,” Johnson said. “I’d go back and do it all over again if I could.”

Time passes. The bonds between classmates may loosen somewhat, but they can never be broken. There is always an opportunity to share a laugh and smile, and the comfort that one feels knowing they can always take the path back home again — even after 30 years.

Alum takes profession overseas and back again

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