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From Newborn Patient to Chiropractic Student:
Patient Cutter Newton Follows Mentor’s Example
by DC2B Charles Thomas Tucker III, LMT
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Children watch and tend to mimic everything adults do, whether those adults are parents, family members, or even random strangers. Sherman College Dean of Clinical Sciences Armand Rossi, D.C., had no idea that the efficient care, family atmosphere, spinal checks and gentle adjustments he provided to a particular newborn under his care would later introduce a new idea in that child’s life.
Dr. Rossi, a Fellow and an instructor with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), has practiced in Arizona, in Georgia, and most recently in Margate, FL, where he retired from full-time practice to join the college in 2016. Because he cared for entire families in his practice, he would often see two or even three generations of patients under regular care.
One such patient of Dr. Rossi’s was one-day-old infant Cutter Newton of Marietta, GA. Newton was born into chiropractic in more ways than one. His mother worked at Life University and was friends with Dr. Rossi’s wife, Terry, who was present for his birth. Rossi arrived after the birth and delivered an adjustment that would be the start of Newton’s journey into the world of chiropractic.
Newton, whom Dr. Rossi says is “like a surrogate grandson” (in addition to his own four children, 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren), lived most of his life in Bennettsville, SC, and recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in exercise science and a keen fascination of the human body and how it works.
Although the two did not live geographically close to each other, Dr. Rossi and Newton kept in touch through the years. When Newton showed an interest in a chiropractic career, he shadowed Dr. Rossi in his office. “I saw how happy people were when they came into his office and how happy they were when they left,” Newton said of the experience. “Dr. Rossi always made sure he had a solid relationship with all of his patients. He had a lot of patients, but he made sure that he remembered them.”
Dr. Rossi said he was excited to hear of Newton’s interest in his profession. “The great thing about Cutter is that no one pushed him [into chiropractic],” Dr. Rossi explained. “A lot came from his attendance at Showcase Sherman Weekend. I would occasionally drop hints in his ear, but I feel like his becoming a chiropractor was meant to be.”
Newton’s experience and relationship with Dr. Rossi is the ideal scenario for any prospective student pursuing a chiropractic career. “Dr. Rossi is pretty much family,” he shared. “I’m thankful that he has been part of my life since day one. I hope that someday I can be as good of a chiropractor as he is and be able to touch as many lives as he has.”
He also said he hopes to take Dr. Rossi’s Pediatric Adjusting elective. “When applying to Sherman, I didn’t know that Dr. Rossi would be teaching here,” he said. “If I have the opportunity to take his class, I will.”
Dr. Rossi’s example in mentorship and in guiding a young student has allowed him to develop some solid advice for upcoming students. “Be prepared,” he says. “I told Cutter, ‘If you’re thinking about chiropractic, take biochemistry. Take some of the subjects that you may not have to take, but will prepare you for the program.’ Students tend to get overwhelmed when they first get here with the amount of work, and I feel that with preparation like that, they do a lot better.”
And Newton offered his own advice for future Sherman College students. “Make friends early on, because you will be with [your classmates] for a long time,” he shared. “Support them, and they’ll support you. And come in with an open mind. Don’t close off to other opportunities and other people’s wisdom. If you don’t like something someone else says, that’s fine. That’s part of the learning experience, finding what you do and don’t like. Give every little bit of information an equal opportunity to be a part of your ‘bag of tricks.’”
This is what generational chiropractic is all about. Whether it is a family member, a friend, a student from your hometown or your alma mater, or even a “surrogate grandson,” it is important to plant the seed of chiropractic with everyone you encounter in your chiropractic career. You never know the difference it may make in someone else’s life.
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