Thomas J. Wasserbauer

Life Experiences and Random Thoughts Thomas J. Wasserbauer

After a short career as an aerospace engineer with NASA, Tom switched careers to medicine and graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1968. The career change was prompted by his brush with polio in 1952 at age fourteen when the dedication of those in medicine caring for him made a great impression. Though left with considerable weakness in his back and legs, he was able to cope with the rigors of medical education, postgraduate training, and private practice. However, the residual of polio advanced over the years and now confined to a wheelchair, he was forced to abandon a very enjoyable and gratifying career caring for infants, children and adolescents. Reflecting on his life, he realized there were many unique experiences that should be recorded for posterity. Along with those experiences, as he pondered conditions in our country, the world, and evolving cultural values, random thoughts emerged. Hence, the title of this endeavor. According to Tom, it is very likely future writings on random thoughts will be forthcoming. Tom Wasserbauer is a physician who retired in 2010 after forty years in the practice of pediatric and adolescent medicine. He was born and raised in northeast Ohio and lives with his wife, Rita, in Fairview Park, Ohio. They raised four sons and one daughter, all who now have successful careers and stable families. Tom and Rita have eight grandchildren, all living close enough to enjoy often.