Beloved Windsor kids' doctor retiring after 40 years of practice

Since 1990, Dr. Mark Awuku has been caring for Windsor's kids, which by now, means he's seeing the children and even grandchildren of some of his first patients. 

Over the decades, countless families have come to appreciate the bedside manner of this pediatrician, who was born in Ghana, but made Windsor his home.

Now, the community is absorbing the news that he's going to retire. 

"It's hard to decide to leave the practice of pediatrics, especially. It's been a very difficult decision to make," said Dr. Awuku.

"In pediatrics, you end up loving the whole aspect of the process of medicine, you get to know the children, you get to know their families. It's hard to let go."

The doctor's love for medicine began in the small west-African country of Ghana, where he did his training. 

He originally thought he'd go into internal medicine, but changed his mind after starting to see young patients. 

"They really taught me a lot of patience, and people will say pediatricians have to be like children," he said, laughing. 

But the reality of treating children is that they can become ill very quickly, but also heal very quickly, said Dr. Awuku. He got used to seeing and "treating" the entire family, when an ill child came in to his practice.

"When the children come in, they see you as somebody who is there not to hurt them, and to help them," he said.

"Some children come to me and they ask me 'Dr. A where is your bed?' They think I live here."

Dr. Awuku posted a note on his office door last week, announcing his plans to retire at the end of next June. 

He said he has been postponing the decision for about three years. 

"I'm going to miss interacting with the families ... the gratification that I get looking after their children, it's something I'm going to miss," he said.