This young patient arrived at the hospital in a coma, was diagnosed with new onset diabetes, treated at the hospital, and discharged home. Alyson speaks with the patient and his mother during a follow-up clinic.

*A group of African children surround Alyson in Malawi.*

Sometimes, “yes” is the scariest word we can say. Many times it leads to the unknown, and to more questions that need answers, and to life-altering changes. As Dr. Alyson Denson has learned throughout her life and career, a sometimes scary “yes,” can lead to many of life’s most exceptional experiences. Led by faith and a servant’s heart, Alyson shares her experience and expertise as a mom and a pediatrician with families in her own hometown and all around the world.

Alyson first moved to Texarkana from the Dallas area as a high school kid, and after college returned with her husband, Wayne, a Texarkana native, to raise their own family. “I have always loved science, and I have always loved being with people, so I was naturally drawn to medicine I think,” Alyson said. “It was during a rotation at Children’s in Little Rock that I knew I would work in pediatrics. I was hooked! I loved working with the kids, but even more so, I loved the relationships I was able to build with the moms.”

As life rolled on, Alyson and Wayne welcomed two sons, Chase and Brett, and life became busier and busier. In 2009, Alyson felt the need for a change. “It was such a difficult decision to step back from my practice, but I was working so many hours, and I just felt like I was missing a lot of things at home,” she said. “Essentially, I took a mom break.”

In many ways, it was that “yes” to devoting more energy at home that has also allowed Alyson to follow a path of service all over the world, and as Alyson says, “It is really a story that only God could write.” In 2010, as the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti unfolded, she felt the call to go. “I have always participated in mission trips, and as a pediatrician, I just felt like I had to go and try to help.” Alyson worked in makeshift tents to tend to children experiencing trauma on every level. “It was devastating. Many of the children that survived had broken bones and missing limbs, and everyone was terrified. Of course, it is heartbreaking to not be able to fix everyone and everything.”

*The Denson family: (front row) Wayne, Alyson and LeAnna; (back row) Alex, Brett and Chase.*

While in Haiti, Alyson felt called to do more. “I met a young lady named Crystal. She was 15 and a child slave. She worked for relatives cooking, cleaning, raising the other children,” Alyson said. “When her family realized that her lost leg would not grow back, they discarded her. Walking her to an orphanage after she recovered was one of the hardest things I’ve done. I remembered hearing a statistic that if every Christian family adopted one child, every child around the world would have a home, and I just felt like, ‘How could we not?’”

Alyson returned home, and while time, paperwork, and red tape prevented the Densons from bringing Crystal to live with them, another opportunity presented itself. “Most families, of course, are looking to adopt infants, but because our file noted that we were open to older kids, we got to meet a sister and brother from Russia, LeAnna and Alex, and soon they became part of our family.” Alyson did get to see Crystal again. “It was amazing. I saw her on a Good Morning America special. She had a prosthetic leg and looked so happy and healthy. It felt like a sign that everything was good.”

As the Densons transitioned into a family of six, they were also transitioning into adolescence and puberty, and as a mom and a doctor, Alyson was trying to ask and answer a lot of important questions, just like many friends and parents around her. “As a pediatrician, I always enjoyed the 11-year-old appointments and set aside more time for those because there is so much to talk about,” she said. “Because there was never enough time, I started organizing these ‘talks,’ or seminars for kids and parents, and they have continued to grow quite organically. I have loved building it, and they are such a joy to lead.”

*Alyson offers some TLC for a patient who had just lost his mom.*

“The TALK with Dr. Alyson Denson” is now a 3-part seminar series that helps parents and pre-teens approach some of the “uncomfortable” topics with more comfort and knowledge. “This is such an important life stage, and these are things that we really can’t ignore as parents,” Alyson said. “Studies are showing now that by 12 years old our kids are dealing with adult issues. Current statistics are shocking to many parents, so by 11 we need to be talking about how to keep our minds and bodies safe and healthy. In my experience, the parents are much more nervous than the kids,” she laughed. “Our kids want and need this information, but a lot of us weren’t parented this way, with open communication, so we’re not sure how to approach it. As parents we want to transition from protecting our kids to equipping them to take care of themselves. It’s not always easy!”

Lately, Alyson and Wayne have made the transition to empty-nesters, and with more availability, Alyson began volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse World Medical Missions. Last year, she said yes to a 10-week position in Malawi, Africa. Then she had to Google exactly where Malawi was, she said with a laugh. “It was an incredible experience. Every time I get to serve on an international mission it alters my world view, and I am so blessed to have gotten to work with the people I met there. I come home so aware of our privilege and comfort, and inspired to look for the good.”

Like the motto from one of her favorite charities, Dr. Alyson Denson aims to “live a life of good news and great joy.” Recently relocated to Austin, Texas, Alyson said her big hope is to continue sharing “The TALK” with new audiences, hopefully in person again soon. As part of The Disaster Relief Assistance Team through Samaritan’s Purse, she remains open to new opportunities to serve – wherever the need may arise. “Yes” is all it takes. “There is always a little nervousness, about competency in something new or not being good enough, and I always fall back to my faith. As an ordinary, normal person, I have gotten to be a part of extraordinary things. That’s God in all of it.”

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A Path of Service