Grandmother is K.I.N.D.E.Rx.'s Caregiver of the Year

"Anybody who has a lot of kids, even if they have money, will tell you that it is hard to raise them," says Dorothy Smith, 61, a grandmother of 12 with five between the ages of 7 and 12 under her care. "And when you don't have money, it is even harder because you have to keep a roof over their heads and keep them in school."

Dorothy Smith assisting her grandchildren with their homework: "I'm trying to instill in these kids that education is important."

When the children have a number of health care needs, the struggle can grow even greater. More than four years ago, Smith turned to the K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Clinic (Kids In Need of Drug Evaluation and Rx - Treatment), which provides long-term comprehensive care to children exposed to drugs, alcohol or HIV in utero.

Mothers who drink alcohol, do drugs, or smoke cigarettes during their pregnancy are putting their children at risk for a number of health problems, including attention deficit disorder, developmental delays, growth problems, speech delay and organ disease.

Dr. Maria Ferris saw a need in the Houston community for a clinic that treated children of mothers who abused substances during pregnancy. She founded the K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Clinic in 1994 with a $146,000 grant from the Texas Department of Health.

"I hope to break the cycle of alcohol and drug abuse which runs in so many families so they can become more self- reliant and lead better lives," says Dr. Ferris.

Her initial goal was to treat 75 children in the first year. The need was so great that 100 children came to K.I.N.D.E.Rx. in the first six months. Since then, the clinic has seen more than 780 children and expanded its services last year to include treatment of those exposed to HIV.

"Even if I'm feeling down or depressed, I can always call and talk to them. They are really good people at K.I.N.D.E.Rx.," says Smith. "I can't express that enough. I don't know what I would do without them."

While raising the five children, Dorothy Smith has also found the time to put some of her own advice into action. At the age of 60, Smith entered a GED program at Houston Community College and completed her high school education last December. "I went to school until the 11th grade, but my mother got sick and I had to take care of my brothers and sisters," she recalls.

"When I first went back, I was lost. I didn't know what I was doing," she says. "But I had a good teacher and my children were very supportive. My daughters were good about helping me with things like algebra.

"After I had been going for awhile, I felt like I had started something that I needed to finish because I'm trying to instill in these kids that education is important." And Smith didn't stop there. She then entered a pharmacy technician program and completed it in June.

Smith's dedication to the welfare of Richard, 12, Timothy, 12, Cedric, 10, Joshua, 9, and Chariss, 7, has not gone unnoticed by the staff of the K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Clinic. The clinic will honor her as its Caregiver of the Year at the 1999 K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Awards on January 28 at the Crowne Plaza, 6701 S. Main Street. The annual event recognizes people in the community who have contributed to the well-being of children at risk. Proceeds from the event and the silent auction go to benefit the K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Clinic.

Smith will be joined by three other award recipients: Patricia Ward, a mother of three children, for the Mother of the Year category; Nene Foxhall, vice president of state & civic affairs at Continental Airlines, Inc., in the Industry/Business category and, in the category of Arts/Literature, author and public speaker John Bradshaw.

A leading national figure in the fields of addiction, recovery and family systems, Bradshaw will also be this year's keynote speaker. He is the author of Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, Bradshaw On The Family, Family Secrets, and others.

For information about tickets to the K.I.N.D.E.Rx. Awards gala, contact Elisabet Chow at 713-704-0123 or by e-mail at echow@ped1.med.uth.tmc.edu.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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