From doctor to mentor, from patient to doctor

There’s a special bond with patients, especially with those who go on to become doctors as well.

One doctor and his former patient drive together from Tucson to St. Andrew’s Clinic in Nogales, Ariz., where they work side by side, and on the way back to Tucson they get a soda at the 7 Eleven — that’s how it’s always been, that’s how they like to celebrate their friendship.

Retired orthopedist Mark Frankel and his former patient Francisco Valencia, now a pediatric orthopedist, have joined forces almost every first Thursday of every month since 1989, when Valencia — currently St. Andrew's chief of staff — joined the clinic as a doctor.

They met back in the early '70s, when the clinic was still in its infancy.

Frankel was one of the first orthopedic doctors to go down to Mexico and meet with a handful of children. He had been involved in the clinic for a few months, when he met Valencia, a Nogales, Ariz. high school student, who had injured his knee playing basketball.

Valencia's mother also was a volunteer at St. Andrew's and sent her son to see Frankel, who cured the knee and invited Valencia to join him at the clinic as an interpreter.

That was in June 1974. Ever since, Valencia has come to help at the clinic regularly. First, as an interpreter, later as a doctor himself. The first impressions, coupled with Frankels strong support inspired Valencia to become an orthopedist.

“They were such powerful experiences that I elected to go down that route,” said Valencia, who sees Frankel as his mentor. “I always felt that pull to the field of orthopedics and pediatrics in particular.”

Frankel said he is proud of Valencia’s work and is now glad he told him to pursue his degree at Stanford University at a time when Valencia wasn’t sure if he could do it.

“He said I’m really not an excellent student, what do you think? I said go for it. And he did that and succeeded,” Frankel said. “It’s very exciting.”



Orthopedics
On a single day, Frankel, Valencia and the other orthopedic doctors see about 60 children who are seeking treatment for the first time or come for a follow up visit.

“The way we approach it is not so much aiming for a cure but just trying to manage the condition and help the families take care of their children and help the children help themselves,” Valencia said. “It carries its own challenges, but most of the time it’s very rewarding, because you are able to affect the life of an individual and their parents in a very positive way.”

Over the years, the clinic has moved from an orphanage to a doctor’s office in Mexico, to Frankel’s office at the University Medical Center in Tucson, to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
“We started to grow and we started to add all these specialties,” Frankel said. “We have come a long way.”