Louisville Medicine Volume 66, Issue 2 | Page 41

MEMBERS and his family arrived back in Kentucky in 1993 with an additional member in tow: their youngest son, Lawrence. It wasn’t quite time to settle down completely. The Weeks family stayed in Louisville just three years before moving again, this time to Louisiana State University in Shreveport. “I wanted to be in the fast lane and was anxious to pursue additional research, but senior physicians were working on studies which had to be completed before I could start. I moved to Shreveport to address that,” he explained. So how did Louisville come back into the picture? “When my oldest son, Dexter, came home from second grade, he had a life chart. Chart your highs and lows in your life. What were those events? There was this one low area at the bottom of the page which simply said, ‘Leaving Louisville.’ Dexter has always been introverted and introspective like me. So, if he complained about something, it got my attention. I realized that when my sons are grown, it probably won’t matter if I have 25 first author publications or 250.” Weeks family photo. From left to right: Lawrence, Dr. Jonathan Weeks, Brenda and Dexter. By happenstance, it was around that time a letter arrived in the mail from Louisville’s Suburban Hospital looking for a dedicated maternal-fetal physician. The stars aligned, and the Weeks family re- turned to Louisville less than two years after they left. Dr. Weeks spent 10 years at Suburban Hospital (now Norton Women and Children’s Hospital) before being courted by UofL to become a faculty member. He accepted and stayed with their program until March of 2015. He then returned to Norton Women and Children’s Hospital to lend a hand with the growing opioid epidemic. “I became board certified in addiction in 2014 and came here in early 2015 to help start a program most people know as New Visions. In the years since, we’ve taken care of more than 500 patients fighting addictions,” Dr. Weeks said. Although settling down may not be the right word, Louisville has truly become home to the Weeks family. Dexter graduated from our UofL School of Medicine in 2017 and lives in Galveston, Texas, completing his residency. Lawrence is a sous chef at Garage Bar in downtown Louisville. Dr. Weeks attributes much of their successes to his wife, Brenda. The couple recently celebrated 31 years of marriage together. “It’s her support that keeps me grounded and keeps the family happy. I’ve been very blessed there,” he said. The Weeks family at Dexter’s medical school graduation As he’s gotten older, Dr. Weeks has traded tennis for golf, although he admits he’s a long way from being good. And, some of his favorite memories have come from traveling with his loved ones. They took brief trips to Korea and Mexico, and one extended vacation through Europe and Africa that left a big impression. “South Africa is the favorite. We went to Cape Town and Krueger National Park. It was a fantastic experience, and much easier than you’d think.” On the horizon, Dr. Weeks hopes to publish and report on his experience treating patients with addiction. “This problem is too big, too widespread,” he said. “I think we need many more physicians who feel comfortable treati ng those patients. If I can somehow encourage The Weeks family with tour guides in South Africa, 2005. (continued on page 40) JULY 2018 39