DOCTORS OF INTEREST
The SURGEON FISHERMAN
When Dr. Richard Follwell is not performing
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BY GREG GARDNER
lifesaving operations on obese patients at the Center
for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery in Martin
County, he loves to fight the largest sport fish he can find,
usually throwing them back.
Born in Zimbabwe and raised on a dairy farm, Follwell
had always wanted to be a veterinarian. While working as a
big-game hunting safari guide, he received his life-altering
break when he worked for a doctor and his wife from
Tennessee. “David and Barbara Sullivan offered to bring me
to the U.S. to go to medical school,” says Follwell. “I worked
on their Arabian horse farm and attended school for three
years at the University of Tennessee veterinary school. The
first time I saw him (Dr. Sullivan) operate, I knew I wanted
to be a surgeon.”
Another couple from Texas he led on a safari also
contributed to his education. The one year he spent in the
safari business taught him about customer service and work
ethic while he worked “extremely long” hours, Follwell notes.
These days, Follwell performs surgery after surgery on
patients with hernia, gall bladder or bowel problems. He
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GREG GARDNER
Originally from landlocked Zimbabwe, Dr. Richard Follwell is now comfortable during his off days on the open seas of the Atlantic Ocean as he hunts for
fish to fight. He was a big-game hunting guide before coming to the U.S. for medical school.
A much younger Follwell poses for a photo with friends and neighbors on
his family’s dairy farm in Zimbabwe.
Treasure Coast Medical Report