Many people change careers during their life, but few people have had such a dramatic shift as Dr. Daniel Forrer of Argyle, who went from years of being a high school coach to becoming a doctor.
Now, instead of drilling students on their dribbling skills on the basketball court, he coaches people through life’s medical challenges in his clinic, Oasis Wellness Center, in Bartonville Town Center.
Forrer grew up in Haltom City, where he met his wife of 29 years, Karen. After high school, he went to Texas A&M. Early on, he said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. “But I had drive. I didn’t like to fail.” It was that attitude that propelled him into applying for medical school at the age of 19. “I tried to get in medical school after two years of college. I bust my cookies, got all my requirements, and took the MCAT.” That first effort didn’t go well, doubtless because of his young age. “My interview for med school was my first interview, of any kind!” he said.
When he graduated from A&M, Forrer became a high school science teacher and basketball coach. His first job was in South Texas, but after he and Karen married in 1982, he accepted a position in Gordon, Texas, population 500, where the high school football team played six-man football. After teaching science and coaching for five years, the dream of being a doctor hadn’t left him. The young coach took the MCAT again, and his score went up 38 percent higher than it had been five years earlier.
At that point, the Forrers decided that Dan should leave the world of coaching for the world of medical school. He graduated from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine-University of North Texas Science Center in Fort Worth. Once he made the decision to become a D.O., there was no looking back. “I’m gonna hitch my ride on this thing,” he remembers thinking, “and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.” Coach Forrer became Dr. Forrer on July 1, 1991.
Along the way, the Forrers had six children. Emma is now in nursing school, and Sam is at West Point. Will, Weston, and twins Jacob and Joseph are students in the Argyle ISD, where the family has made their home for the past 14 years.
That drive and determination that had guided his life came into play again in May 2011 when he decided to open his own practice in Bartonville. “It was an opportunity to be my own boss and do medicine the way I wanted to do it,” he said. He opened Oasis Wellness Center on May 17th. “I had my first patient the first hour. I was so excited, and then it turned out to be the only patient I saw all week.” Opening the center did give Forrer the leeway to practice medicine in his own distinct way, and patients will tell you that he is just as likely to throw back his head and let out a joyful belly laugh as he is to ask if he can pray with you before you leave your appointment.
Thankfully, his practice has grown since that first week when he only saw one patient, and ironically, the boy’s basketball coach has discovered that his true passion is helping his female patients with their problems. “One of my greatest joys is helping women overcome migraine headaches with hormone replacement therapy. We are able to help women manage really significant problems just by addressing what your body is deficient in,” Forrer said.
Many of Forrer’s former male athletes wouldn’t believe that today their coach is running a practice that offers Jane Iredale make-up, facials, Botox, skin fillers, and laser hair removal among other things. “It’s a quirky little clinic,” as Forrer sums it up.
If you’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Dan or one of his estheticians, call 940-584-0088. The Oasis Wellness Center is located at 2650 FM 407, Suite 155 in Bartonville Town Center. For more information, visit oasiswellnesscentertx.com.
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