By Linda Thomas

“My happiest memory as a kid is of walking in the snow-covered woods of Ohio. Every year at Christmas our whole family would gather for the holiday and we’d take long walks in the snow,” says Jeff Shaffer, a local chiropractor with off ices in Southpor t and Leland. Like many other transplants tour area, Jeff misses the beauty and wonder of new fallen snow, but not the shovels that go with it.  Growing up in Ohio and later in Tennessee, Jeff dreamed of becoming a pro football player like his hero, the famed Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jack Lambert led the “Steel Curtain” defense, won four Super Bowls with the Steelers and was named the “Toughest Football Player of All Time” by the Fox Sports Net in 2004. But Jeff Shaffer would not make football history like his idol. At the age of 15, this young man faced the first big turning point in his life when a serious knee injury ended his pro football dreams. But like his idol, Jeff was a tough kid. He took inspiration from his beloved grandfather, Edward Hrbek, a man who overcame polio, lived through the Depression years, and went on to night school, raising four children along the way. “Grandpa was always singing....in the morning, during the day and at night. Everywhere he went, he met life with a song,” remembers Shaffer. “I always admired his perseverance, his love of life, the way he made things happen. One of the things he taught me was that if you can do something about a problem, DO IT. If not, then let it go. That’s a lesson I carry with me and will pass on to my daughter.”  Taking a page from his grandfather’s life book, the young Shaffer immersed himself in regaining his physical strength and reshaping his life’s plan. While lifting at a Gold’s gym in Chattanooga, Jeff sustained a shoulder/neck injury. Never one to like taking medicine, he met Dr. Bob Dobrowolski, a chiropractor who was working out at the gym. Using his own chiropractic skills to teach the young man what could be accomplished with nontraditional medicine, he convinced Jeff to come to his office and receive treatment for his injury. This was  the second turning point, meeting Dobrowolski and becoming inspired to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. Jeff moved on to Chiropractic school at Life University in Atlanta for four years, but kept in touch with Dobrowolski, who became more than a coach and mentor—he became a lifelong friend.  The third turning point in Jeff’s life was the birth of his daughter Mykaela. “I was there from the very first, cutting the cord at her delivery and she is my greatest joy in life. She’s seven now and spends holidays and summers with me, but we talk on the phone every day, sharing and staying close,” he says with a warm grin.   The most recent turning point in Jeff’s life is meeting his fiancée Wendy Hunt in September of 2005.   When speaking about her, Jeff says, “She is amazing, so full of life, bubbly and enthusiastic.  Wendy makes friends everywhere she goes, is a gifted photographer, and always looking for photo ops. We love traveling and spending time with her extended family.” His creative approach to “popping the question” shows Jeff’s practical nature as well as his obvious level of comfortable communication with his life partner. He surprised Wendy on her birthday with a gift that was just what she needed most....a new car.  Not just any new car, a Carolina Blue Mini Cooper.  After the initial excitement, Jeff casually asked Wendy “by the way, will you marry me?”   The couple takes life as it comes, they share a philosophy of “living for the day and helping others  along the way.”   In his practice, Jeff is likely to be found not hidden behind his desk, but out in the waiting room, talking informally with his clients. Attracted by the hands-on nature of chiropractic medicine, he truly enjoys the patient interaction. He says, “I really love listening to people’s life stories, talking informally about what’s going on in their lives.   Taking the time to listen really helps me understand what may be contributing to their physical problems. And I learn so much from my patients, especially the older people who share their life’s experiences.” Jeff clearly enjoys his life’s work, noting that “’if I could do it for free, I would.” He began his practice in Southport in 2001, expanding to Leland in 2006. Along the way he worked a lot with young people, coaching at South Brunswick High School.  Outside of his two busy office locations, Jeff is likely to be found on the golf course, working out to maintain his “gentle giant” physique, or scuba diving to explore the many shipwrecks that dot the Cape Fear area. He really enjoys the silence, the mystery and the “otherworldliness” of the being under the sea and looks forward to diving in other areas. He also loves big city life, especially that of Atlanta and Tampa, in complete contrast to the quiet pace of Brunswick County.  An important component of keeping his life in balance is listening to a variety of music, watching his beloved Steelers & Buckeyes, and taking the occasional weekend getaway with Wendy and Mykaela.  On the list of upcoming adventures? Skydiving and a trip to Italy. When this writer suggested that Italian countryside would make a great romantic honeymoon destination,  Jeff responded with a “maybe, but we might have to wait a bit for that.” That’s Dr. Jeff Shaffer—a practical professional man, a man who is the epitome of the “live in the now” lifestyle, and a man who makes the most of the turning points in his life.