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SUCCESS STORY
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two ROADS one journey
THE PATHWAY TO MEDICINE was vastly different for Dr. Sara Hawes and Dr. Geanina Anghel of Northeast Digestive Health Center in Concord. Dr. Hawes grew up just outside of Washington, D.C., and attended George Washington University and Ross University for medical school; she did her residency at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. Dr. Anghel moved to the United States from Romania as a young woman to continue her education and pursue a medical career. Dr. Anghel completed her residency and started her career as a gastroenterologist at Allegheny General, a research facility and teaching hospital in Pittsburgh.
While their roads toward medicine were quite different, their paths would become similar not only in their Pennsylvania connection and chosen profession, but in what led them to Lake Norman. Dr. Hawes came to visit her sister who had attended college in the state and settled in Mooresville. After sunny visits filled with paddle boarding and kayaking, Dr. Hawes and her family decided to leave the cold North and make Lake Norman their home. Dr. Anghel also chose to move to the area to be close to her sister who resides in Charlotte. “Watching sunsets and listening to birds are among my favorite things about the lake,” she smiles, “and the people are so kind and hospitable.”
Both of these hard-working women agree that one of the biggest challenges in today’s world is maintaining proper perspective. “All of the new things we are facing as a community and as a nation,” Dr. Hawes shares, “can be quite daunting if we don’t focus on what’s important … juggling family and work is always a work in progress. My husband is also a physician so we are stretched pretty thin. Our nanny has been with us nearly 10 years now, so she is a part of our family and a key factor in keeping things running relatively smoothly. To relax, we take a lot of long walks in the woods with our dogs and our kids.” Dr. Anghel agrees: “It is extremely important to focus on the positives and to be grateful each day for what you have … I am most thankful for my family, including my fiancé Cristian, my sweet miniature poodle Bert, and my immediate family: my parents in Romania, my sister and my brother-in-law, and my niece and nephew, Giulia and Kevin. “One of my biggest challenges,” Dr. Anghel continues, “is dealing with severe, emergent medical situations when you need to stay very calm and perform your job. Off work, it’s about keeping up with all your responsibilities as a human being, woman, and everything life throws at you, regardless of how tired you are after a long day at the office. But I love helping people so being a gastroenterologist is a bonus!”
Dr. Anghel and Dr. Hawes are focused professionals and are adamant about continued learning in their field; and with a true passion for what they do, both doctors find great satisfaction in their work but insist it is imperative that you keep a good balance so you don’t miss out on the
good stuff! “I just try to show up every day and be mindful and present,” Dr. Anghel says. Similarly, Dr. Hawes makes her own time to stop and smell the roses: “My son, River, is 10 years old, and my daughter, Winter, is 8 and helping them navigate the world and the consequences of their actions has given me a broader perspective on life. Making sense of the current world situation and still finding moments of joy in every day is something we constantly focus on.”
Northeast Digest Health Center is opening a new location in November and will be at the corner of Poplar Tent and Harris Road, which is located just 15 minutes from Lake Norman. In order to provide services to the entire Lake Norman area, this facility will house 10 exam rooms, an endos copy suite, and an infusion center. w
