Submitted by Will House

Hello San Juan Island. Will House here.

I wanted to take a moment and say hello and give a brief introduction of myself, our family and the medical practice. Many of you know that Dr. Gossom and I reached an agreement to have me take over the clinical practice at San Juan Healthcare. My wife Sherrie and I visited the islands for the first time nearly two decades ago and like many of you instantly fell in love. I was working as a software engineer at the time and had the opportunity to telecommute. We were about to put earnest money down on a home there when my late father’s health failed and served as a catalyst for me to pursue my first love of medicine. We packed away our plans of becoming islanders but never lost sight of the dream of being there. Since then we’ve lived in Boulder, Colorado (where both our daughters were born); New Orleans; the Hudson Valley in New York; and most recently in Camden, Maine. To say we’re excited to finally be moving to the San Juans would be a gross understatement.

My wife Sherrie and I have known each other since we were kids. She’s my best friend, sounding board, advisor and now business partner (she’s been a high school math teacher for 24 years). We’ll celebrate 29 years of marriage next June. We love hiking, boating, cooking, spending time with our kids and our dog, Hooper. Our approach to life is pretty laid back. We’re looking forward to making new friends there in the coming months.

Our daughters Jackie, 18, and Savannah, almost 11, are both amazing young women. Jackie graduated high school a year early and is already in her second year of university. She’s transferring to the University of Washington in Seattle with the goal of attending medical school there as well. Our youngest Savannah is a dynamo who LOVES marine biology (Friday Harbor Labs, look out!). Both girls love nature and are voracious readers. They’re greatly looking forward to being a part of the community there and share our intense love of Washington and the Salish Sea.

I’m excited to announce the new clinical business — Eventide Health. The location and staff will remain the same with some exciting new healthcare options coming in 2020. My prime focus in medical practice is to listen, educate and treat with care. I can assure you that I will always endeavor to provide each and every patient with the type of care that I would want for my family. I can’t promise to fix every problem or always provide you with answers you will like, but I think you’ll appreciate my approach. I will write more here and on social media over the coming weeks and months about Eventide Health.

Thanks for the incredibly warm welcome you’ve already extended to us as a family. It’s been a long time coming for us to find a home, but as they say: We got here as fast as we could.