Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1298749
When a New Place Feels Like TEXT BY HOLLY MATKIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKKI GILBERT INTRODUCING hen Dr. Dustin Riddle arrived in the Electric City to join the podiatry team at Great Falls Clinic in February, he found himself immersed in a community that bore a striking resemblance to another place he once called home. "I grew up on a ranch," the Colorado native says. "Great Falls feels like home in Colorado in the 1980s. ere are different values to be learned out here. I grew up that way, and I want my kids to get to experience that." e U.S. Navy veteran's extensive academic and occupational pursuits have resulted in him and his family seling into many communities over the years, including their last residence in Hartford, Wisconsin. Dr. Riddle says he long aspired for their next home to lie somewhere "out west," so when an opportunity opened up at the Great Falls Clinic, he was quick to take the plunge. He and his wife, Great Falls Clinic optometrist Cynthia Decker-Riddle, are especially looking forward to exploring Montana's wide-open spaces with their sons, 14-year-old Jax and 12-year-old Hudson. "Neither one of them have ever been out west or seen the mountains," Dr. Riddle explains. "Everybody is excited to be out here and to try something new." Dr. Riddle, who specializes in limb preservation and wound care, says he is also looking forward to using his skills to help patients live well. Many of the patients he sees are struggling with the debilitating effects of diabetes. "A lot of podiatrists don't go into wound care, but it is big with me in my practice," he says. "People don't realize how debilitating diabetes can be. We want to increase awareness so they can get ahead of it." Many patients are able to control their diabetes through diet and exercise, but education and early intervention are key. "Diabetes can be very insidious," Dr. Riddle says. "It can be so controllable but once it gets a hold of you, it can be very devastating and debilitating." W COMING HOME SiG MT 16 URBAN AFFAIRS URBAN AFFAIRS Dr, Dustin Riddle S MT