Dr. John M. Cheatham, Jr., 68 "A Life without Furniture."
Dr. John Cheatham passed away Monday afternoon, November 2nd.
He succumbed to a heart attack while climbing Kennesaw Mountain. Hiking was a favorite
recreational pastime and an important part of his profession. He
recently climbed and summited Mount Kilimanjaro and had made multiple
trips to the Grand Canyon. Just this year, he completed a 50 mile hike
from the canyon's south rim to the north rim and then back again with
his brother and hiking partner, J_____. John was born in Griffin,
Georgia, on November 29, 1940. He graduated from high school at the
Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He completed his undergraduate work at
Georgetown University, after serving his country as a sergeant in the
Army Special Forces with a tour of duty in Vietnam. Not content with
traditional career patterns, however, he earned a commercial pilot's
license and then set out to travel the world. John worked as a bush
pilot in Africa and New Guinea and then there was a stint in the
Amazon rain-forest. While in the region, he amazingly persuaded his
sister, E_____, to accompany him on a 2,500 mile trip down the
Amazon River in a non-motorized dugout canoe. The trip started at the
river's headwaters in Peru and finished in Manaus, Brazil, where
civilization then began. Along the way, there was a particularly
troublesome encounter with an anaconda longer than the boat. Briefly
giving in to conventional pressures, John returned to the United
States and attended Columbia Business School where he received an MBA
degree. Then followed a financial career abroad, but one in which he
never felt fulfilled. Business was never John's passion and he was a
person who simply refused to live life without passion. Though John
was never one to be imprisoned by what others thought he should do, it
was not until his late 30's that he identified his life purpose and
set out to become a medical doctor working with the poor in the
underdeveloped world. He decided upon ophthalmology as a
specialization as he considered cataract surgery to be the most
effective medical procedure for the poor world. He saw an opportunity
to give sight to those who were blind but who lived in areas too
remote to be helped by others. At that time, however, no one John's
age was ever admitted to American medical schools and for years he was
rebuffed in his attempts to study medicine. However, John refused to
give up his dream and spent ten years struggling to overcome obstacles
before finally getting his degree. Early on, he simply bought medical
books and self-taught himself enough to pass Part 1 of the National
Medical Boards before ever enrolling in medical school. Then there
followed years of multiple schools in multiple countries, with his
study of medicine including elements in French, Spanish, English, and
Portuguese. Eventually, two influential people recognized what John
had to offer the world and took up his cause. They managed to have
others bend rules to have him admitted to the Medical College of
Georgia where he excelled. Quite likely, John is the only graduate of
that school who did so without ever completing a single premed course.
One of these men described his efforts on John's behalf as the best
investment he ever made. John went on to practice ophthalmology for 20
years in the undeveloped world. During that time he never received a
dollar of salary nor charged a single patient for either the surgery
received or for the all important logistical support that made that
surgery possible. John took the time to learn the needs of the poor;
he walked among them. He understood how difficult it was for the blind
in remote areas to find their way to medical facilities. So he went
looking for them, always contending that the surgical aspect was the S
easiest part of the process. John knew that the work takes a lot of
mud on the boots as well as good medical skills, and he was prepared
to give both. Though he certainly never kept score, it seems safe to
say that over 20,000 people regained their sight due to his efforts
and those of the dedicated team that he led at the Mathis Eye
Foundation, an organization named in honor of his mother and uncle.
John's other interests over the years included flying, parachuting,
judo, SCUBA diving, travel (people would try to name a country that he
had not visited), languages (he studied eleven and spoke many of these
fluently), hiking into remote areas to locate the blind poor, and
reading. He studied history that he might learn from the past. In June
of this year, he embarked on his greatest adventure of all when he
married his long-term companion, and often co-worker, Dr. A_____
S______. Many have said how John strongly influenced their lives. We
know that his example inspired others into medicine. Some considered
him to be their mentor. All who crossed his path found him
encouraging, as just being around John left one with the feeling that
they could do better in their own lives. He inspired them to try.
Throughout it all, John lived a simple life. He did not own a home, a
car, or a cell phone. His possessions consisted only of a closet full
of items at his mother's home and that which he carried with him when
he traveled. Yet with so few accessories, he accomplished so much.
People often marveled at John's life and asked if he would ever write
an autobiography. This question he would laughingly dismiss, saying
that too many people write books while too few read books. However, he
did recently say that should he ever change his mind, the book's title
would be A Life without Furniture. In accordance with John's wishes,
he will be cremated on Friday, November 6th and his ashes scattered
without ceremony or memorial. He wanted no flowers to be sent or
donations made on his behalf. The family certainly intends to respect
his wishes, but we also feel the need to make a request of those who
cared for John. We want to recognize that he spent his life giving
sight to the poor. He quite literally brought light into areas of the
world that desperately needed it. As such, we can not let the day pass
without honoring his efforts. So we ask all who knew John or those who
simply identify with his life's purpose to light to a candle on Friday
in memory of a life well spent and to take a few moments to reflect on
how we, too, can bring light into the world. A single life produces
much radiance when that person follows his dreams, tries to do what is
right, and refuses to let obstacles stand in the way. John Cheatham
did all that. The world is better for his having lived. We are better
for having known him. Though his life may have ended too soon, it was
a life complete in so many ways.
(Sorry. No paragraph breaks in the AJC obit. The one bold highlight is mine)
John Cheatham, MD, was the most amazing man I have ever met. Period. He grew up in my home town of Griffin, Georgia, in an ultra-wealthy family that owned textile mills. He spit the silver spoon out of his mouth early, and excelled in everything most other rich boys abhorred.
We became thick during and after my combat tour in Viet Nam. He was flying in Africa at the time. When he decided to go to medical school at the age of about 40, he goaded me to join him. Read the obit about how he did it. I did not have that in me.
I often told John's story to my USFS fire-fighter friends this summer. They were all smart, erudite, and ambitious. They, like John and me, loved the wilderness. I will miss this great man.
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