Meet Dr. Dixie J. Hines
The Purpose Behind Dr. Dixie’s How to Do Life
Meet Dixie J. Hines, M.D. – wife, mother, grandmother, physiatrist, and published author. With a background in the medical field, Dixie has come across people from all walks of life and has gained a great sense of knowledge from both her personal and professional encounters. From patients and close acquaintances to her own experiences and love of reading, she has learned a thing or two about tackling some of life’s more serious (and not so serious) trials and tribulations. Today, she is ready to share her findings with the world!
DrDixieHowTo.com is an accumulation of resources stemming from real-life events. On this site, Dixie will cover everything from simple life tips and hacks to navigating some of life’s more serious matters like abusive relationships and medical issues that often times most people don’t like to discuss. Her goal: to help at least one person going through a tough time by showing them that they are not alone and that things WILL get better.
While many of her facts are medical-based, her content is clear and easy to read – relating to people of all ages, genders and ethnicities. So why reinvent the wheel or spend countless hours Googling for answers, when you have Dr. Dixie J. Hines!
How I Got to Be Where I Am Today:
1949-1953
HIGH SCHOOL IN FOREST CITY, NC
While I did a few modeling jobs, was a majorette, and won some beauty contest, two of the biggest highlights of my younger years was when I (and two brothers) put on a water ski show in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1950 or ’51. I have been told that I was the first female to water ski on the island of Newfoundland. The second exciting thing was a water ski part in the movie “Easy to Love” with Esther Williams in 1953.
1953-1961
MOTHERHOOD
Early on, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I attended Florida Southern College for a couple of years after High School and after a failed marriage but with one wonderful child, I married my High School sweetheart and had two more beautiful children. I loved being a mother and it was during that time that I realized I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.
1961-1977
EARLY EDUCATION
With medical school on my mind, I enrolled at Furman University in Greenville, SC around 1967. It was a 130 mile commute round trip and with three small children and a husband, it nearly killed me. I transferred to Limestone College in Gaffney, SC. I graduated with honors in Chemistry in 1969. I then worked as a Clinical Chemist in a hospital lab and received a certificate as a Clinical Chemist through the American Society of Clinical Pathologist (ASCP) in 1971. We moved to upstate N.Y. and I went to Cornell University and got my MS Degree in Food Chemistry in 1977.
1979-1983
ATTAINING THE UNTHINKABLE
One of my proudest moments in life was making it into MUSC College of Medicine in Charleston, SC at the age of 44. I had been told many times that I could never get into any Medical School at my age. But I had also been told I could never get into Cornell University Grad-School! I proved them all wrong. I was unprepared for the rigorous studies and competition with the much younger students, and I am not a genius by any means. It boiled down to perseverance! I graduated from Med. School in 1983.
FUN FACTS: My first grandchild was born in 1982 and as far as anyone could find out, I was the only “Grandmother” med. student in the U.S. at that time! Another fun thing that happened was that “Paul Harvey” did a segment on me on National Public Radio in 1982.