A dentist by profession, she also leads hiking groups, is an active community volunteer and offers talks and seminars on healthy living. And now she’s written her first novel, “Grid: Once in a Lifetime, You Get to Start Over.”
She is Dr. Kimberly Quan Hubenette, CEO of Synergy Dental Group in Sonoma since 2005. She was motivated to write the book by her late husband, Mark, who suffered from cystic fibrosis since childhood and lived with a double lung transplant for 21 years old.
Mark graduated from Sacramento State University with a degree in recreation and later served as an inspector for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and assisted his father in his general contracting business. In his last 10 years, he could no longer work a regular eight-hour day, but he volunteered with Sonoma Search and Rescue for eight years, overseeing his equipment.
“I’ve always wanted my husband to tell his story and encourage people with cystic fibrosis to keep living like him,” she said. “When he died in 2019, I knew I wanted to commemorate him by writing.”
Hubenette, a Kenwood resident since 2006, also draws on her experiences as a survivor of earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes and wildfires as she tells the story of Sofia, the main character. .
In the book – from Beyond Publishing, which helps authors, speakers and experts in various fields publish their works – Sofia wakes up one morning with her house in flames. Her life was changed forever because her soul mate was gone and all she left were letters and clues from him urging her to never stop growing or forget the lessons he had taught her. taught about life in the desert.
Hubenette provides emergency preparedness tips for people and pets at the end of the book.
“It’s a fictional novel with a foundation of truths,” she said. “Some are stories my patients have told me, and the lists of emergency preparedness and outdoor wilderness advice are inspired by Mark. He did not die in the fires. He didn’t write me any letters. When we found out he only had a few days left, I told him to write me a letter and I wrote him a letter. It was his only letter.
“He told me that when he died, I should go on living. He always knew he was on borrowed time with his condition.
The book’s theme aligns with Hubenette’s other efforts to inspire others to bounce back from challenges and live healthier lives.
“I offer seminars to inspire those who have lost a loved one to move on,” she said. “As a widow, I know the first year is the hardest. I offer two-hour seminars and lead hiking groups in Sonoma County to help people get back into nature and back to life.
She offers presentations on other topics such as living life to the fullest, whole-body health, implementing natural alternatives to daily dental services, and becoming a liaison between mental and dental practitioners to create a health-centered dental practice. health that all dentists can implement.
Hubenette also considers herself an anti-aging bio-hacker.
“By changing our environment with foods, supplements, exercise, and healthy living, we can change our body dynamics,” she said. “I take saliva samples and do genetic testing to help my patients be the best they can be. We cannot change our genetics, but we can improve our outcomes by knowing our genetics, improving our environment, and helping us overcome our natural tendencies.
As a dentist, she donated her services to several charities, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Braille Institute, and the Muscular Dystrophy Society.
Hubenette’s father and several cousins are dentists, and she decided to follow their example while attending Central Union High School in El Centro, California. She then earned a doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Southern California in 1993 and then worked for 12 years in a dental practice in San Diego that she opened.
Hubenette is an alumnus of the LD Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Training, based in Key Biscayne, Florida, in comprehensive and comprehensive care. The program is distinguished by its dedication to the treatment of bite and temporomandibular joint disorders.
She was an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, where she participated in its pre-dental program. In 2009, she began volunteering as an offsite community dentistry teacher for the University of the Pacific Dental School in Stockton and the University of California, San Francisco.
A Fellow of the American Dental Society, in 2010 she received the distinguished Master’s Award from the Academy of General Dentistry, which recently honored her as a Lifelong Learner. She earned the distinction by performing more than 500 hours of community dental services after receiving the Master Award.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, fishing, hiking, rollerblading, camping, motorcycling, and walking her dog, Dakota.
Hubenette also continues to write. She has started another novel as well as an inspirational book, “Live, Love, Survive, Thrive”.
“I encourage everyone to learn something new every day,” she said. “Keep moving, living and giving back.”
Contact the reporter, Dan Johnson, at [email protected].com
