Chronicles of an Extreme ENT II

If you haven’t read the first chapter please click HERE and read that article first.

Continuing our series on one of Alabama’s most beloved ENTs, Dr. Audie Woolley, we promised to give reason for the name, Extreme ENT….
We start with the question “How does one become an Extreme ENT?”

Do you think it’s his medical training? After all, he did learn to improve the health and lives of children. Not everyone can do that. He received his residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and then did a pediatric fellowship with concentration in ear surgery and cochlear implants. I mean he is Clinical Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Surgery and Pediatrics along with several other medical related titles he holds. Hmmm…

Cholesteatoma Surgery, tympanoplasties, ossiculoplasties, he can say them and perform these surgical procedures without expecting the parents to spell them, say them or even know what they are. Yet he can explain with patience and regular vocabulary each medical term so that the parents are confident and trust his skills even if he still looks as if he’s fresh out of med school…(he’s not by the way!)

Nope!! We parents sort of expect that from our doctors; we all want the best, seek the best and hope we have picked the best. We are certainly relieved when the surgeon who is about to attempt to help a deaf child hear, or maybe help a child breathe easier with airway reconstruction, or even placing simple ear tubes, has earned scholarly awards (oh yeah, he entered college on an academic scholarship and graduated Magna Cum Laude, we’re talking BRAIN POWER here)….

He’s earned this title of Extreme ENT only partially for those reasons; it actually has a little to do with this…

…his gorgeous family, with wife Ally holding everyone and everything together. They were college sweethearts and eventually married and had three sons and a daughter ranging in ages from 8-21. He says that she’s a great mom and an awesome wife. He notes she has always supported him both professionally and recreationally…and what he does recreationally has officially earned him the title of Extreme ENT. Truth be known, the whole clan is a little extreme with Ally being queen of the slopes and Emme (8) the little princess is taking horse riding lessons. As for Dr. Woolley and their three sons…well, you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what all they do! Here’s a hint: Adventure and danger…they love it!

Sometimes it helps learning more about your doctor to have that trust and understand that he/she too may have a family…children. Maybe the doctor realizes being a parent himself/herself, how difficult some decisions can be. Stay tuned to learn more, you just might have more in common with this doctor than you think! We’ll find out next about those extreme adventures and what he does for recreation, we’ve already ruled out line dancing…but some things just might surprise you, when Extreme ENT continues…