The opportunity to follow your ambition sometimes first takes the courage to believe in yourself and your dream. When you take those first steps to achieving your goal – Opportunities will help see you the rest of the way.
Opportunities Credit Union wasn’t there at the start of Dr. Nathan Heilman and Therese Fafard’s dream of opening their own Veterinary Clinic, but they were there when the husband and wife team needed help bringing their dream that last leg of the journey.
After receiving his undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Cornell, Nathan went to work as a veterinarian with a local practice. After several years working within a western medicine veterinary practice, Nathan went back to school. However, this time to learn more eastern medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine. He felt it balanced his western education and offered a more complete set of knowledge and skills when treating patients.
In 2006, after working as part of another Animal hospital clinic for several years, Nathan felt it was time to open his own clinic – one more in tune with his own sensibilities and focus on Eastern and Western medicinal philosophies. His belief in melding the two, focusing on the strengths of each, and finding the balance in the medicines as well as his patients diets and health.
He brings this philosophy to his new practice. A merging of eastern and western health care philosophies, bringing back an older wisdom, long since forgotten from our more modern veterinary system. Treat the patient, and not just the symptoms. Health care begins with nutrition and well being, we shouldn’t wait for a problem before thinking about our animals’ health. Qi Vet offers a more balanced treatment style and outlook.
Another bright aspect of Qi Vet is that it’s a family run clinic. As you walk into Qi Vet, you feel at home. Nathan and Therese have worked hard to try and make their clinic comfortable, inviting, and as un-“clinical” as possible. Not only does the foyer and reception area feel welcoming and very relaxed, but the atmosphere of the business itself feels more homey. It could be the wood floors, or the choice of paint for the walls, maybe the chalk boards in the waiting area, or the large open windows in every exam room. If you ask Therese and Nathan what they strive for most at the clinic, it’s finding a “balance” in their patients.
When Qi Vet finally teamed up with Opportunities Credit Union, they were already committed o making their clinic a reality. However, Opportunities stepped in right at the right time with a loan and line of credit. Nathan and Therese have been so happy with the credit union, they even have their mortgage with them too. If you ask Nathan and Therese if they’d ever work with Opportunities again, they answer without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
