Doctor who died in avalanche remembered by County patients

PRESQUE ISLE – He was a compassionate physician who was deeply interested in his patients, their lifestyles and history, and was reluctant to release them after he treated them successfully for cancer.

Friends, co-workers and colleagues are deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Christopher Brian Seitz, a Portland-based radiation oncologist who conducted clinics at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle for the last 23 years.

Seitz, 57, of North Yarmouth was killed Monday in an avalanche while skiing with his two sons in British Columbia.

A memorial service has been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 24, at Woodfords Congregational Church in Portland. Memorial funds for Maine Medical Center and The Aroostook Medical Center have been established.

Seitz developed innovative radiation techniques and was known to make house calls. He worked with physicians in Seattle on brachytherapy treatments, or radiation implant therapy, and brought those to Maine patients. He was known as a pioneer in both radioactive seed implant procedures for the prostate gland and reproductive implants for women.

Seitz was a partner at Spectrum Medical Group, based in the Portland area, which conducted clinics in Presque Isle and at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Dr. Jeffrey Young, Spectrum medical director for radiation oncology, recalled Wednesday that years after being cured, patients would return for the wisdom and encouragement of “their doctor.”

“He was loved throughout the state,” said Young.

Joyce Davis, a registered nurse in The Aroostook Medical Center’s radiation oncology department who worked with Seitz when he began coming to clinics in Presque Isle in December 1979, described him as someone who could give people bad news couched in an element of hope.

“He was able to convey that even though the situation was grave and we couldn’t guarantee a cure, we would try to relieve the pain and make people more comfortable,” she said.

The hospital switchboard was inundated with calls from patients and families Wednesday morning as the news of his death spread throughout the area.

“They are extremely upset as a result of a very close relationship,” Jack Ginty, senior vice president of The Aroostook Medical Center, said. “He was a well-qualified physician and compassionate human being, an extraordinary person.”

Seitz also was involved in renovations of the radiation therapy department under way at the medical center and bringing in the latest equipment for the area’s patients.

Lori Churchill, a 10-year secretary in the radiation therapy department, said Seitz couldn’t bear to discharge a patient.

“He couldn’t do it,” she said. “The other physicians would tease him about following them too long. But they got comfort from being in the room with him.

“One patient who understood our loss called the department sobbing and asked what she could do for us,” Churchill said.

Seitz’s patients invited him to go skiing and snowmobiling with them, said Dr. Celine Godin, one of his partners who came to the medical center clinics.

“They wanted him to participate in their lives outside the clinic,” she said. “He wanted to know all about people; he connected with them at all levels.”

And Seitz was a lover of candy and cookies, according to Godin.

“Everyone who worked with him knew it,” she said of sweet tooth. “But you would never tell by looking at his amazing athletic physique. He was almost a fanatic about his health and well-being. Most people were shocked to learn he was 57.

“Right now, we are trying to come to grips with this loss and re-evaluating all our priorities and patient needs,” Godin said. “Our concern is for continuity of that excellent care that Doctor Seitz provided.”