To my MAPA Family: 

On most of my checkups, I will usually ask the children what they want to be when they finish growing up. I will tell them they need to find a job that they like so much that they would almost do it for free. 

You see, that is how I have felt about my job as a pediatrician here in Asheville. My career has been everything that I wanted it to be and more. Asheville has been my home as I moved here in July 1985 to join Ben Bailey and Ellen Boyd. Carol Long joined us in 1988, and the start of Mountain Area Pediatrics had begun. 

I have had the great pleasure to work with some truly outstanding physicians. All of them have been dedicated to the children of Western North Carolina and have always put them first. Ben Bailey, Ellen Boyd, Carol Long, Joel Hylton, Theresa Hamel, Karen Walter, Mark Jackson, Brian O’Donnell, Meg Goodwin, and Kiersten Derby have been great friends and colleagues. They have supported me both personally and professionally. All of them are MAPA family. We have had some great managers and nurses that have made my life easier. Madelene Kushner helped hold the practice together when it first started. Our current manager, Jennifer Nesbitt, had to navigate through the COVID pandemic and the devastating hurricane. We have had iconic nurse managers: Margaret Owenby, Laura Brown, and Sandra Peck. I have been able to watch Marissa Messer go from my patient to my nurse to a nurse manager. We have had some truly heart-warming phone nurses like Margaret Thomas, Dianne Galloway, and Susie Redmond. Our lab has had to keep up with me and has had great leadership from Jeanette Schraeder and Meagan Bartlett. I wish I could give a shout out to all my fellow MAPA colleagues, but 40 years of people make that too tall of a task. Please remember that I am greatly honored to have worked with all of you and appreciate all that you have done for our patients. 

My family has supported me all these years. My wife, Connie, has had to endure all the late nights, the weekend calls, working on Thanksgiving and Christmas, the 3 a.m. phone calls, and all the stress that comes with being married to a pediatrician. Her love has carried me through all the stress. My daughter, Maribeth, was the closest person to an angel that I have met in my life. She passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of thirty-three. I have truly never gotten over it and never will. I do appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that my staff and my patients have expressed to me. My son, Will, is one of the strongest persons that I have known. He has endured all that life has thrown at him and always keeps doing his best. 

I have been blessed with the best patients and parents. I have seen a lot over the last 40 years and have been amazed by the love and dedication exhibited by the moms and dads of my patients. Thank you for the trust and love that you have shown me over the years. Many of my patients grew up and brought me their children. I believe I have a few three-generation families who have come to see me. I wish I could practice forever, but I know that no one beats Father Time. I did not want to stay too long and not be able to perform at that level that the job demands. My last day at MAPA will be January 30th, 2026. Please feel free to keep me up to date on your children as they grow up. If there is any way I can help you, I will do my best to assist you. You are all family, and I will miss you. 

MAPA is excited to announce that a new pediatrician will be joining the team. Her name is Ivana Baumgarten. She speaks five languages and is dedicated to helping the children of Western North Carolina. She will begin on February 1st and looks forward to meeting all of you. 

There are some final requests that I make to all of you. Please do all you can to support your children. Our most valuable asset is our children. It is time we come together and, in spite of our differences, speak up for them. Great healthcare and a good education should be available for all of our children. Any investment in our children now will pay dividends later. We cannot be a great country if we do not provide for our future, i.e., our children. Please do all you can to help them. Speak up for them and make it a common goal that we will provide them all the opportunities that our parents gave to us. 

Thank you, and God bless all of you. 

Terry C. Childers, M.D.