For many people, childhood ailments consist of scraping knees, catching a cold, or spraining an ankle. John Kemp, Jr.’s story is a little different.
Most of Kemp’s life was spent visiting doctors and hospitals across the country in search of a cure or a solution to a condition that none of the highly qualified medical professionals could diagnose. It would be easy to assume a hospital is the last place Kemp would ever want to be, but that’s not the case. Instead, Kemp envisions spending the rest of his life at a hospital—this time as a doctor and not a patient. Instead of running away from medicine, he wants to run towards it.
A Search for Answers
Kemp started experiencing unexplained pain while attending preschool. Over the years, Kemp’s symptoms worsened and, despite many hospital visits, his diagnosis remained unclear.
In 2013, a neurosurgeon from Miami Children’s Hospital confirmed there was a possible vascular malformation in Kemp’s spine. The family sought specialists across the country, until a doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital called them, suggesting a venogram. This procedure would show the veins in the body and might help with achieving a specific diagnosis.
The family packed up their home in Loxahatchee, Florida, and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to seek treatment at Johns Hopkins. The venogram showed that Kemp had an extrarenal that could be the source of his symptoms. An extra renal vein is a rare condition in which an abnormal vein runs from the kidneys around the vertebral column, resulting in the strangulation of the spine, as in Kemp’s case. The next several years were filled with medications, physical therapy, and the family moving back to Baltimore due to hospitals in Florida lacking the necessary specialization to treat his condition.
“It was difficult, but it made us who we are. And it brought us closer as a family,” Kemp says.
Turning Pain into Purpose
Kemp’s family’s experience of having to move across the country for treatment is what inspired him to start The Kemp Legacy Foundation, Inc. The foundation is a nonprofit that supports families with travel and treatment costs and eases daily struggles. Kemp realizes, though, that his parents’ ability to relocate was a huge blessing during a challenging time, and that others may not be so fortunate. It didn’t seem fair to Kemp for so many people to have to choose between financial stability and the medical treatment they desperately needed. That’s why the foundation focuses on connecting people experiencing hard times due to medical conditions to resources that improve access to treatment.
“It’s so hard these days to get in contact with the correct people,” Kemp says. “Everyone wants to help you, but not everyone knows how.”
Looking Ahead: A Career in Medicine
Kemp aims to become an orthopedic spine surgeon to help people who struggle with conditions similar to his. While his desired area of specialty may change, he knows with certainty that surgery is his passion. Kemp is fascinated by the tactile aspect of surgery, in which hands-on activity directly results in healing a patient.
Kemp is currently a junior in PBA pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in pre-health. In between his time spent studying for exams, Kemp became a founding member and the current chief relations officer of PBA’s chapter of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, which started this semester. The chapter’s goal is to facilitate fellowship and support students on the path to becoming healthcare professionals.
Learn more about pre-health programs at PBA.
