Ranch life is unabashedly tough and unpredictable. Before Lahaye was born, the ranch flooded; this past year, there was a drought. The work is constant, and the animals get sick. Some days, it’s a life-or-death struggle.

Unfortunately, life-or-death matters have been a constant presence in Lahaye’s life. Her father, Dale Marshall, has been sick as long as she can remember. She was 2 when he was diagnosed with leukemia, and even though a bone marrow transplant cured the cancer, that wasn’t the end of his medical troubles. He had a heart attack when Lahaye was in high school. A sextuple coronary bypass surgery followed, and, a few years later, kidney failure.

Throughout her father’s health issues and the challenges of ranching life, working with horses was a comfort to Lahaye. “I grew up with them, almost like siblings,” she says. From junior high school on, Lahaye participated in rodeo, eventually making national finals and putting herself through college with scholarships.

Lahaye says ranch life and rodeo taught her discipline, teamwork and the value of persistence. “Hard work can get you a lot of places,” she says.

Lahaye was always interested in a career in medicine; her mother suspects that it was all those hours she spent with her dad at medical appointments. She was in college when she realized she truly wanted to become a doctor.

There were hurdles to overcome. For one, there was the question of money. Rodeo and academic scholarships had gotten Lahaye through college, but now she would have to take out student loans. Fortunately, she also received scholarship funds from the Friends of the UW School of Medicine, which eased the financial burden somewhat.

Her father was also a consideration. Despite her dad’s worsening health, Lahaye’s parents supported her decision to apply to medical school. When he was hospitalized with kidney failure, she had to leave his bedside to attend her medical-school entrance interview in Bozeman, hundreds of miles away.

“It was really hard, knowing that my dad’s health was poor and I wasn’t able to come home and help as much as I used to,” she says.

Lahaye worried about the future of the family ranch, too. It had always been assumed that she would take over from her parents one day, but medical school — and a career as a doctor — could take her far away from home. Together, the family rallied to find solutions, and Lahaye’s oldest sister and her husband agreed to move home to help their parents.

Now, their three children are growing up on the ranch, learning to ride and work the cattle, and Lahaye teaches them riding and roping skills when she visits.

“I’m trying to pass on as much knowledge as I can about ranching and rodeo, because they are the next generation, and hopefully, one day, they’ll take over the ranch,” she says.

Although medical school doesn’t leave much time for riding, Lahaye stays connected by cheering on her husband, Kody, a professional rodeo competitor who coaches rodeo at Montana State University. And, after graduation, she’s looking forward to settling down permanently in a community like the one she grew up in.

“I’ve learned how important rural physicians are to these communities. People like my dad struggle with access to healthcare in rural Montana, and the growing physician shortage means it’s going to be harder to get the medical care you need,” she says.

“I want to be able to give back to those small communities,” says Lahaye. “I can help people like my parents and our neighbors continue to live the rural way of life.”

By Stephanie Perry
Photos: Kurt Wilson