Exclusive Interview with Dr. Donald Arnette Regarding His New Book, “I Am Supposed To Be Here – The
Dr. Donald Arnette was born in New Orleans. He came to Texas when he was young, around the age of eight or nine. His dad had worked in New Orleans with the federal government. He traveled to Texas periodically and was raised in Dallas. Dr. Arnette enjoys spending time with his family and inspiring others. He was very smart when he was a kid; however, he did not want anyone to know just how smart he really was.
Dr. Arnette had a strong passion for basketball. The sun would rise and set with him, working to realize his dream to play in the NBA. Even though he didn’t fulfill his dream as a NBA player, he has friends who actually made it to the NBA. Julius Erving, “Dr. J” was his idol and then he became obsessed with trying to be like Michael Jordan. One of his most vivid memories was when he received his leather ‘Dr. J’ Converse shoes. Dr. Benjamin Carson, an American author of “Healing Hands” and retired neurosurgeon is an inspiration to Dr. Arnette. One day his dad asked him, his sister and brother, how would they want to live when they grew up? His brother answered by saying he wanted to live with their dad. Dr. Arnette answered by saying when he grows up he wanted to make a lot of money, he went on to say he would make more money than his brother and sister. His younger brother lives in Florida. His brother played basketball professionally overseas. He currently owns and operates DUNK basketball youth league. DUNK basketball youth league gives kids a true NBA experience including halftime shows, announcers, All Star games, etc. His motto is, “where we treat every player like a pro.” His league has close to 100 teams and over 800 kids. His sister works with a Housing Authority in Little Rock, Arkansas and she is doing well also. Dr. Arnette always finds the time to serve as a role model to children in and around the Dallas area. He often speaks to kids throughout the DFW metroplex, encouraging them to be aware of how they present themselves and interact with individuals. He has a big heart and tries to change the mindset of our young people about what they can do in life. He always asks the young people to guess his occupation for twenty dollars, whenever he is speaking to kids in the classroom. However, the kids have never guessed that he is a doctor; he still has the twenty dollars. They always think his career is related to being a basketball player. Dr. Arnette indicated that we do not live in an idealistic world and we need to teach people that we live in a realistic world, in order to be successful in this day and time.
Dr. Arnette went into the medical field, when he did not pursue a basketball career. He received advice from his dad that doctors make a good living. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of North Texas carrying him to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas). He performed research projects at Yale School of Medicine and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Cardiology at U.T. Southwestern Medical Center. He has worked in two departments led by three Nobel Prize Winning physicians, Drs. Al Gilman, Mike Brown, and Joe Goldstein. Dr. Arnette was the first African American male to obtain a Ph.D. from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 2005, from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology. He spent an excessive amount of time trying to determine why cardiovascular disease is more prevalent in minority communities. He was able to work closely with the Dallas Heart Study and the American Heart Association. Dr. Arnette led the Genetics of Longevity in African-American Study. He currently works for a San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company, engaged in the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for improving the lives of people with cancer. Dr. Arnette strives to serve patients by transforming the promise of science and biotechnology into therapies that have the power to restore health and ultimately to save lives, fulfilling his mission to serve patients. Dr. Arnette strongly believes that he is walking in his purpose.
I asked Dr. Arnette how did he derive the title of his book, “I Am Supposed To Be Here – The Art of Dealing With Perception”? His reply was, “This story idea came about when society tried to dictate if I fit the role of a doctor. After being enrolled in a prestigious medical school in the nation, I was faced with obstacles such as conditional acceptance, an unjust arrest and incarceration, which resulted in a legal battle with the state of Texas. I had to learn how to deal with my trials, tribulations and adversity. These challenges caused me to ask myself the question, why me? I felt as though I did not fit the role of a “suspicious person,” because of my appearance (very clean cut). During one of my encounters with a police officer, I asked the officer why was I being targeted and the officer responded “because you don’t look like you’re supposed to be here.” So I decided the appropriate title for the book was ‘I am supposed to be here.’ My book will show people how to deal with negative perceptions and it will encourage people to never give up on their circumstances. The book will teach people how to appropriately address conflict in any situation.” Dr. Arnette said the hardest part of writing this book was having to relive the unpleasant experiences of his past. “This process seems to bring back all the stress. Some things you don’t like to think about,” he cited. Dr. Arnette wants readers to grasp the fact that the stereotypical view of what success looks like is changing. He wants to remind readers that mindsets are very important. Therefore, keeping a positive mindset can be extremely valuable to living a rewarding life. You can accomplish anything you like and you can’t let any type of adversity keep you from achieving your goals. The release date for Dr. Arnette’s book will be June 7, 2015. The Publishing Company is Spirit Reign Publishing. Books can be purchased on line by visiting www.docarnette.com, www.amazon.com, www.spiritreign.com.
Social Media Info: Twitter@docarnette, Facebook@Dr. Donald Arnette Public Figure
Dr. Arnette has an exclusive book signing scheduled for June 7, 2015, by invitation only; however, he will be planning other book signing events in the future to promote his new book. I asked Dr. Arnette what did he learn from writing this book that he would like to share with readers? “I want to share that writing a book can be a very long process. It can be very time-consuming. As a writer, you have to make sure your emotions and feelings are conveyed into words. Dr. I want to share some helpful advice that I received from his mother: to always keep dates and times of events which occur in your life, so that you have something to reference, keep good notes and even write down thoughts. Some people like to keep journals, which can be beneficial when writing a book. This makes it so easy to rely directly on your notes, than to try to remember the actual facts,” he responded. Dr. Arnette hopes his book will motivate readers, who are dealing with adversity and unexpected obstacles that life brings to all of us. His adversity was never classified in his mind as a racial issue. This book is not about a racial campaign, it is solely about how a person can get through adversity and learn how to overcome various challenges, and to change negative mindsets to positive mindsets.
One entity whom Dr. Arnette felt supported and respected him outside of his family members regarding this difficult season in your life, and who he appreciates is Dr. Melonie Cobb. Dr. Arnette indicated that Dr. Cobb single-handedly is responsible for his career, and he is extremely grateful for her loyalty and trustworthiness. Dr. Arnette does not have a writer who is a mentor to him. This is his very first book project. He also indicated that he has written several articles, which have been published in various entities and therefore, he does not see writing as a future career for him; however, Dr. Arnette did state that his favorite author is the Legendary Comedian, Television Host, Radio Personality and Actor Steve Harvey. He is impressed with how he gives advice to women through his book, “Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationship, Intimacy, and Commitment.” Also, Dr. Arnette admires Joel Osteen’s style of reaching people in a dynamic way, through his various teaching tools, books, CDs, and etc. He believes that Joel Osteen, the Pastor of Lakewood Church, takes his ministry to another level completely.
I asked Dr. Arnette who designed the covers for his book and he informed me that he and his beautiful family, his wife Kimberlyn and their three children Daylin, Dylan, and Danielle, attended a photo shoot with Photographer Jin Kim of Dallas (www.jinkimstudio.com). Dr. Arnette is pleased with the results, and he believes the audience will like the covers. Photographer Kim enjoys embracing natural smiles and expressions in his professional portraits of children and adults.
Dr. Arnette also informed me that he is currently reading the book, “Let It Go” by Bishop T.D. Jakes, New York Times best-selling author and pastor to millions of people around the world. “This book teaches the readers how to explore forgiveness in every area of our lives. It truly has been a real blessing to me and my family,” say Dr. Arnette. Regarding A Readers’ Perspective: Dr. Arnette wants to recommend to our readers to always have a positive attitude in life, and not to go off the deep end if someone goes off on us. “We have the power to change. We can do a complete “180.” Our personal experiences will dictate our attitudes in life,” he explains. However, Dr. Arnette wants his readers to try to be as positive as they can, and to enjoy everything life has to offer. Also, to always remember the incredible power of keeping a positive mindset!
Dr. Donald Arnette wants to extend his thanks and appreciation to Fuzionz Magazine and TV; to everyone who reads this article; and to those individuals who financially support his book. He believes readers everywhere will be blessed and motivated by it!
Photo Credit: Photographer Jin Kim
Special thanks to Public Relations Professionals: Omai Kofi & Audra D. Beard of Omai Entertainment Group
