By Jennifer LeClaire
Multi-generational chiropractors are becoming commonplace in this day and age,
but not all kids follow in their parents’ footsteps.
Gil Desaulniers comes from a long line of chiropractors. In fact, the lineage
goes so far back that the family was producing practicing chiropractors long
before the 23-year-old was born. Altogether, there are 36 Desaulniers in the
business of giving adjustments—and the number is still growing.
You might say chiropractic is in Desaulniers’ blood, as well as their
hands and hearts. Named after the family’s first chiropractor, Gil Bohemier,
Desaulniers is the latest in the clan to attend Life University, but surely
not the last. His younger cousins plan on attending when they finish high school.
Bohemier paved the way for the rest of the pack when he graduated from Palmer
College in 1974, before Life was founded. In a storyline common to many doctors
of chiropractic, Bohemier was drawn to the discipline after traditional medical
science failed to provide relief. In Bohemier’s case, it was severe asthma
attacks that introduced him to the field.
“My Uncle Gil went to a chiropractor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a kid to
get help for his asthma. He never had another attack after that,” says
Desaulniers, doing his best to recant a chiropractic family history that was
passed along verbally by his father. “That’s how he learned about
the amazements of the body and how it can heal itself with help from chiropractic.”
After graduating from chiropractic college, Bohemier discovered Dynamic Essentials
(DE) seminars with Life University Founder Dr. Sid Williams. Bohemier was excited
about the philosophy.
This excitement caught the attention of Desaulniers’ father, who was also
Bohemier’s brother. Bohemier’s excitement about the field was contagious.
It didn’t take much to convince the senior Desaulniers to pursue a chiropractic
career.
He and two of Bohemier’s brothers earned their degrees and prepared to
carry chiropractic to the next generation. Desaulniers’ two brothers and
sisters have since graduated from Life. His mother recently graduated from Life,
too. Meanwhile, Life student Desaulniers lives with one of his cousins, who
is also currently attending the college.
Despite the family line of chiropractors, Desaulniers says he never felt pressured
to take this career path. While he admits his youthful dreams were to become
an entrepreneur, a few years of exploring on his own led him back to chiropractic.
Soon, he will be an entrepreneur—a chiropractic entrepreneur, that is—when
he graduates in June 2008. That’s when he’ll open a solo practice.
“As a kid, our family vacations were spent at DE seminars in Atlanta,”
Desaulniers says, recalling the special classes for kids to learn how to meditate
and speak positive affirmations. Desaulniers’s sister was actually born
in a hotel room during a DE seminar. “Family reunions are almost like
chiropractic philosophical seminars,” he adds. “Most of the family
who aren’t chiropractors work in chiropractic offices as assistants.”
The chiropractic lineage will give Desaulniers an edge in the industry when
he does open his practice. He knows exactly what to expect. He understands the
challenges of opening a new office, and he knows what it takes to be successful.
After all, his Uncle Gil saw more than 1,000 patients a week before he passed
away four years ago. Other chiropractors in his family are seeing 1,500 patients
a week. But Desaulniers wants to make his own way.
“I would like to see my role as taking some big shoes and making them
bigger,” he says. “I was raised to do everything out of my own passion
and give it my all. Chiropractic gives my life lasting purpose, which is to
give for the sake of giving, to love for the sake of loving and to serve for
the sake of serving.”