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Dr. Thomas Fame celebrates his win and shares his important work in Haiti.
With more than three decades of excellent medical experience, it’s no wonder Dr. Thomas Fame has been awarded Top Allergist/Immunologist in our Top Docs 2021 poll.
“It reassures me that I must be doing something right,” he says of the award. “I try to listen to patients and be creative with treatments, because often they have been to several physicians without help. If I can help someone who has not found relief elsewhere – it’s a big win for both of us.”
Fame sees patients of all ages, from two months to 100 years old, with respiratory symptoms, sinus, asthma, recurrent bronchitis or pneumonias. If you believe you are “sick all the time,” he wants to figure out why! His office, Fame Allergy & Asthma in Salem, also treats other allergy-related issues such as eczema, hives, food allergy reactions and uncomplicated headaches.
For those of us who love to spend time outdoors (from post-quarantine vacation “escapes” to sunshine-filled lunch breaks), but worry about allergies and asthma, Fame and his team can make you “not allergic” by desensitizing patients with allergy shots.
“They will take away the immune response to these pollens so that you can enjoy the outdoors without symptoms or the need for meds,” he says.
For Fame, success is measured in his patients. “I love seeing the full breadth of humanity, finding out about people’s interests, their life and work, and giving them a place to feel that they have worth. A person isn’t healed until you treat both their physical and spiritual needs. As a former pediatrician, I enjoy so much interacting and hearing what little people have to say.”
Since 1996, Fame’s second job has been creating sustainability in a rural valley of Haiti, a walk in faith that has taken him on adventures he never could’ve previously imagined. He not only connected with the community and its children as a visiting then-pediatrician 25 years ago, but helped build a school through local fundraising, amongst many other selfless tasks.
The journey led him to obtain a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins, and implement a community health program that empowers local people to improve their lives with schools, lunch programs, clean water, job creation, a birthing center and now a community-wide public health program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his work in Haiti, he has released his second book, “The Lambi’s Call: Breaking the Chains.” His first book, “Three Cups of Tea,” focused on building relationships and falling in love. He describes the second book as “raising the children.”
“By that, I mean working to moving this community towards self-sufficiency and not being dependent on outside groups,” he says. He often speaks at local church groups and book clubs about his work in Haiti and publications.
Fame is glad to call Roanoke home, spending his free time walking the greenway, or hiking or kayaking around the area. He swims and works out at the Salem YMCA, and has taken drum lessons for over six years, which he says is a “great release” and something he wishes he’d started when he was younger. He also reads theology and teaches classes for those entering the Catholic Church.
“Salem and the Roanoke Valley have been so good to my family and me,” Fame says. “I have been amazed at the help I’ve received from people over the years. There are many heroes in the Valley for me – Estelle Avner of the Bradley Free Clinic and Peter Lewis with Apple Ridge Farms, to name just two. Thank you all for this honor.”
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