Endocrinologist Ahmad Zare, MD, has always been goal focused. Had he not been a doctor, he might have had a career as a professional soccer player.

Dr. Zare, of St. Luke’s Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology in Palmerton, diagnoses and treats conditions affecting the endocrine system, including diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, growth hormone deficiency, infertility, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and obesity. His goal is to provide patients with the knowledge and resources needed to manage their illnesses or conditions, including diabetes.

“With the right support, knowledge and lifestyle modification, individuals can live well despite their diagnosis,” he said.

He shared the story of a young woman who had an unmeasurable AIC level when she first saw him and was frightened. Diabetes was prevalent in her family, and some of her relatives had lost a leg, vision or a kidney because of its complications. He addressed her concerns and misconceptions and assured her she was not alone. He would guide her as she worked to gain control over her disease. Since then, she has modified her lifestyle and now has an AIC near normal. He expects that she will soon be able to control her insulin with oral medications alone.

Had Dr. Zare not been a physician, he might have been making different kinds of goals - as a striker on a soccer field. He played the sport throughout his boyhood and youth. After school he played pick-up games for hours with friends and many of his cousins who lived in the neighborhood.

In middle school, he played in a national tournament of students throughout Iran and scored the most goals of any player, earning the name “Mr. Goal.”

While he loves soccer, medicine is his passion. Dr. Zare attributes his desire to be a doctor to a frightening boyhood incident in his hometown of Yazd in central Iran when he was just seven.

“It was a hot summer day. My family and I were sitting in our yard when we heard screaming from my uncle’s home,” Dr. Zare said. “We all rushed over and saw that my cousin had drowned in their pool. My uncle was not a doctor or a nurse, but he knew CPR and started performing it successfully.”

Even though the story had a happy ending, with his cousin now a successful businessman in Iran, more than 30 years later, Dr. Zare can still envision his then 4-year-old cousin. He wasn’t breathing, His skin had turned blue.

“This was a powerful motivation for me to become a doctor,” he said. “In front of my eyes, I saw how quick action revived someone who had died. Then, 10 minutes later, he was talking to us.” Dr. Zare decided that the best way he could have a similar impact would be to become a doctor.

He was inspired to become an endocrinologist because Yazd, the ancient desert city where he was raised, has a very high rate of diabetes. Many people around him had diabetes, and he has witnessed its complications. He completed medical school and his residency in Iran and was a successful physician there.

But in 2014, Dr. Zare and his wife, a pediatrician and American citizen he met in medical school, decided to emigrate to the United States to give their children a better life.

After arriving in this country, Dr. Zare completed a second residency in internal medicine, followed by a two-year fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus.

While Dr. Zare enjoys treating patients with diabetes, he is concerned about the rising rate of diabetes in children and teens. He encourages parents to ensure their children have a healthy diet low in sugary snacks, limit sedentary activities like screen time and get regular exercise.

His children, a girl, 5, and a boy, 3, attend gymnastics and swimming classes, and Dr. Zare plans to enroll his son in soccer camp this summer.

“I think he’s going to be an outstanding soccer player,” he said. Dr. Zare’s favorite soccer player was Diego Maradona from Argentina, who at the time was as famous as Lionel Messi today.

“He was like God to us.”