David Dodd had it all, lost it, then through a stroke of good fortune and a forgiving family, got it back again. But it's a story that's all too familiar in medicine - a promising physician who turns into an impaired physician.

Dodd graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in 1953 and trained at Vanderbilt in internal medicine, and at the University of Tennessee in surgery. Then in the early 1960s he returned to his hometown of Murfreesboro to run a solo general surgery practice for more than two decades.

Spending long hours at work, on call 24/7, and seldom taking a vacation, Dodd immersed himself in his practice. Married with four children, he was a pillar of society. Then it all came crashing down around him when colleagues confronted him, forcing Dodd to admit what they suspected - that he was addicted to drugs. continued..