Dr. Kenneth Hayman Jr. – nominated as a Hometown Hero this year – is the recipient of the 2008 Frist Humanitarian Award, given annually in recognition of the humanitarian spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr., a founder of Hospital Corporation of America. “I receive much more than I give,” says Hayman of his hospital work and volunteer efforts. This response is typical, according to his wife of almost 20 years, April. “He is one of the most humble people I have ever met, never taking credit for something only God could have done through him,” she says.
Emergency Medicine –
Rewarding and Challenging
Explaining his choice of emergency medicine, Hayman says, “The broadness of the practice creates a lifelong learning challenge, creates opportunities for immediate impact, and offers interface with those from all walks of life.” For Hayman, the rewards of emergency medicine come in the form of making a difference in someone’s life, and often being able to see that difference immediately. While emergency medicine has its negative aspects, he sees the challenges of time, access and “controlled chaos” to be the very things that keep him interested in striving to improve services.
Serving One’s Neighbors
“You are now entering the mission field.” Hayman took to heart these words that appear on a plaque in his church. Whether in his job at Parkridge, through his countless volunteer hours in our community, or on mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala, Hayman is on a mission, and of his efforts he says, “We are called to love our neighbor … regardless of location.”
Inspired by his friend Jack Roach, Hayman became a founding board member and the medical director for MORE (Motivating Others to Reach the Earth), a nondenominational Christian mission organization. Hayman explains, “The purpose is to come alongside nationals to equip and motivate them to meet the spiritual and physical needs of their own people.” The organization’s work in Mexico, the Middle East and Mongolia provides medical and dental services.
Dr. Hayman and his wife, April, have also volunteered with the stateside program of Children of the Americas, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing lifesaving medical and surgical services to indigent children and their families in Guatemala.
“The Guatemalans have a beautiful and brilliant culture,” Hayman says. “Although they have suffered great atrocities – even genocide – they somehow remain joyful.” On one of the trips to Guatemala, the Hayman children – Trey, Casey and twins Payton and Chase – joined their parents in the work. According to Hayman, their four children discovered that the Guatemalans are “people just like them, families who love one another.”
“The children also realized that their own needs pale in comparison to the needs of the impoverished people of Guatemala,” he adds. Through their work with MORE and COTA, the Haymans have served literally hundreds of children.
Adopting a Child
and a Country
The Hayman family’s connection to Guatemala deepened when they accepted the referral of a two-week-old baby and began the proceedings to adopt her. April Hayman and her four children moved to Guatemala for six months during the process. “God placed our fifth child in my heart as if He had placed her in my body,” she says of their daughter McKenna. “The time in Guatemala allowed us to learn the culture and to develop a love for the birth country of our daughter,” she adds.
A trained medical physicist, April became a full-time stay-at-home mom after the birth of their first child; however, during mission trips that training becomes especially valuable. “Serving alongside my husband, I have been able to use my knowledge and abilities within medicine to serve God in various ways, particularly missions,” she says.
One thing is clear about the Hayman family: They have huge hearts and open arms. In 2007, the family learned of an orphaned child who needed surgery that had to be done in the United States. Within four months, arrangements were made to bring her to the Hayman’s home. Now efforts are underway to make Cintia a permanent part of the family. Although each adoption has occurred under different circumstances, April says, “Adoption has blessed our family and had positive results for us.” Through trips to Guatemala, McKenna has met her birth mother and is learning about the culture of her native country.
Volunteering at Home
Hayman’s deep abiding connection to Guatemala would seem to occupy all of his time away from the hospital, but this is not the case. Living the words of his mission, he makes it obvious that his “neighbors” are here in Chattanooga, as well.
Hayman is a member and participating physician in Project Access, an organization that provides health care for patients who are in the gap between government-funded and private insurance. Initially the vision of Dr. Joe Cofer, the program has provided over $42 million worth of free care since its inception. As the president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, Hayman oversees the organization’s mission, which is to serve as an “advocate for the success of physicians and for the continual improvement of community health.” Since 1983 Hayman has taught Advanced Cardiac Life Support through the American Heart Association, an organization in which he served as both a local and state board member and as president of the Hamilton County chapter in the 1990s. Having been “blessed to be a successful kidney transplant patient over 35 years ago,” Hayman served in the late 1980s and 1990s as board member and officer of the Kidney Foundation.
Of his volunteerism, Hayman says, “My faith gives me the desire to use the time and talent God has given me to help others.” To those who would consider volunteering, he adds, “Find your passion and make yourself available. The success of all ventures is dependent on the cumulative strengths of ‘one.’”
Having a Heart for
God and Others
In her nomination of Hayman as a Hometown Hero, Parkridge Medical Center Director of Emergency Services Robin Marsh writes, “You might think him an impossible man to catch, but he always makes time for the staff and colleagues he works with.” This sentiment is echoed in the words of April Hayman, who says of her husband, “He is generous with his time and resources, and is never too busy to lend a hand to those in need. He has a heart for God and for others.”
Hayman describes his life this way: “God has truly blessed me with a profession I enjoy, a wife and family I adore, and the gift of eternal security I do not deserve.”
Pamela Boaz, a writer and editor, earned a BS degree from the University of North Florida and an M. Ed. from UTC. During her more than 30-year career in education, she has served as faculty advisor for student publications and written curricula for a variety of courses. Pam also works as Professor-in Residence for UTC, supervising student teachers.