x
Breaking News
More () »

Leon Bibb reports: How a Cleveland man reinvented himself from mechanic to doctor

It was a college course that changed the course of his life.

CLEVELAND — The hands of the mechanic probing beneath the hood of a car searching for what is mechanically wrong are sure hands. Carl Allamby – auto mechanic – has the ability to get a car back on its wheels again.

For years, Allamby has been a mister fix-it of cars and trucks. Even before high school graduation, Allamby was intent on repairing cars.      

"Somebody took an interest in me and said, 'Hey, I have an extra space in my shop if you want to use it,'" Allamby recalled.

After a while, Allamby was off and running in his auto repair business. It grew. 

It is a long way from the auto repair shop to the corridors of Cleveland Clinic's Akron General Hospital, where Allamby's nimble fingers now work computer keys, and a lot more.  

Introducing Doctor Carl Allamby – emergency room specialist, who this year, earned his medical degree at age 47.

"Sometimes, I don't know how to look at it. Sometimes, I look back and say, 'Who was that guy?' Like, it's hard to believe that's me," Allamby said.

This is a story of a man with dreams who, unknown to anyone else during his East Cleveland Shaw High School years, secretly fantasized of a medical career, but somehow buried the dreams. 

Leon Bibb shares this compelling story in the video above.

Before You Leave, Check This Out