Otolaryngologist (huh?)...aka My Doctor for my Lymphatic Malformation
Next to my family, this man is probably the most important
person in my life...Dr. Joseph L. Edmonds, Jr. Or, as we call him, "Dr. Joe".
I have to admit, my memory of time spent with him is limited, because the majority of that time, I was pretty young. But, I do have some significant memories, the biggest being my tongue reduction surgery in 2015. But with all the talks I've had with my parents, I do realize the impact he has had in my life and for that, I am so extremely grateful. By the way, my parents have been super open with me about each surgery and procedure I have had and explained it all to me!
It's funny to think about being a doctor. What I mean is, to him, I am another patient. And while I know he cares deeply for me and all his patients, I am pretty sure he doesn't look at me the way I look at him. I mean, he is the reason my life is the way it is...like, in a good way! Without him, I would be WAY worse off. It's just a crazy thought.
This is from my Dad:
We met Joe after Zachary's first surgery at just 16 days old. The pediatric surgeon that examined Zachary after he was born did that surgery, which involved draining a cyst of blood from his neck. Luckily, that was just a small incision and didn't even require stitches, he just packed it with gauze. While Zachary was in ICU, we begged that surgeon to give us some clue as to what Zachary had, since we had no information to that point, other than we knew it wasn't a tumor.
He told us that there is a doctor in the hospital that is on his way to surgery, but is going to stop by and talk to us. He walked in, introduced himself, took one look at Zachary and that is the first time we heard the words, lymphatic malformation. Insert blank stare emoji here. It was foreign to us as it is to anyone that hears that for the first time. He told us that that we were going to be friends for the rest of Zachary's life. That was Dr. Joseph Edmonds. And he was right. We are so grateful for him and all of his staff.
Okay, back to me. I am hoping to get Dr. Joe to do my podcast and see if I can be someone that his other patients would like to reach out to for support and help us ATTACK THE CURE!
That's it for now, except here is Dr. Joe's bio from his site:
Surgeon – Children’s ENT of Houston
Joseph L. Edmonds, joined Children’s ENT of Houston in October 2000. Following completion of his medical education at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Edmonds continued his otolaryngology residency training at that institution. He completed a two-year pediatric otolaryngology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of San Diego in California in June of 2000.
Dr. Edmonds is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology Allergy. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons. He is a clinical assistant professor on the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas – Houston, The Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
He is involved in several ongoing research projects, including non-surgical treatment of vascular malformations in infants and children, upper respiratory tract infections and hearing loss. Dr. Edmonds takes an active interest in community health issues and supports a medical mission program for physicians in Nepal.
Dr. Edmonds became a partner at Texas Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants, PLLC in 2002.