NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — The past two years have been go, go, go for Kevin Duncan.
Hardly a free moment for the father of three as he pursued higher education.
"I came to a crossroads where I had to decide whether to stay with the administrative route or stay clinical," Duncan said.
Duncan has worked at UK since 2008, predominantly in the radiology field.
His search to advance himself in that discipline led him to the role of Radiology Assistant.
"We are the right hand to the radiologist. This was like the perfect case because I've been in radiology for 17 years," Duncan said.
The RA pursuit brought Duncan back and forth to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Five times a year he had to fly down to the Lone Star State for school while balancing his full time job at UK and being the main provider for his family.
It's been a far from easy road toward earning his master's degree, especially with some hurdles caused by his health.
"I have a bicuspid aortic valve. I was born with this but I had no idea I had this. I found out incidentally in 2021," Duncan said.
"Over time, I developed what's called regurgitation which is like this leaking back of the blood. If you can imagine, blood flows through and then the valve is supposed to close and blood stops and that's the pumping. Mine was leaking so it was heading back into the heart."
Eventually, Duncan's condition got significant enough to require surgery, slated for November 5.
That was 39 days before he was expected to fly down to MSU to walk across the graduation stage.
The tight timeline put Duncan into overdrive, working 12 hour days, seven days a week, to finish all his schooling before surgery just ensure he graduated on time.
"I've been doing this two years. The studying, the tests, the late nights writing papers. I didn't want to prolong this any longer than it had to be," Duncan said.
Well, the determination paid off.
Surgery went smoothly and Duncan made the grade.
Two weeks before Christmas, with his family by his side, he was handed his Master's Degree in Radiologic Scienes from Midwestern State University.
"It was overwhelming because I didn't think I was going to get to go, Duncan said.
"It was kind of surreal to get there and to know that we did, we made it. Despite what we went through we were able to get through this and here we are to walk across the stage."
Duncan is proud of all the work he put in, but his focus is fully on his family, knowing he couldn't have done any of this without the support of his wife Brianna.
"I'm sort of the center of this because I had to do everything but really she's the reason," Duncan said.
"It's good to have somebody that supports to pick up the slack because it's for the greater good of your family. While I did all this she was behind the scenes doing just as much if not more."
