Pediatrics and Alternative Pathways
I
and my brothers are successful too .
14 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
grew up in the fabulous , optimistic 1950s in the middle of a big family of four boys and two girls . My dad would come home from work and say , “ Hi , honey ,” give my mom a big kiss , and all was well . We got the message that education was just as important for women as men : my sister is an electrical engineer and bank CEO ,
We lived beside a big park where I spent so many happy hours exploring the woods and wading in the creeks . My mom told me that the woman who lived in our house before us loved flowers . I still remember the plants that grew in and around that house , but I only recently realized that my siblings didn ’ t notice these things like I did .
When I reached my 50s , I had the privilege of becoming friends with Theodore Klein , the generous , genius plantsman behind Yew
by ELLEN COWLEY , MD
Dell Botanical Gardens . I once described to him a peculiar shrub tree that grew in my childhood backyard , one I hadn ’ t seen since . He identified it immediately based on my description as a rose acacia , a native locust . On my own , I found the dinner plate-sized hardy red hibiscus and lovely scented , bluish and mauve lilacs . Once my mom planted daffodils , just six of them . As an adult , I wanted to plant so many that I could pick them , my friends could and there would still be plenty to enjoy with some surprising colors , too . I did that .
My dad designed and built an outdoor tiered rock garden when I was young , and I helped in planting and maintaining it , realizing that I loved the physicality of building with rocks and soil . My high school biology teacher , Ms . Herp , made the subject so fascinating that it became my college major and channeled me into medicine and ultimately pediatrics .
At an early age , I was hand sewing and embroidering doll clothes , later designing and sewing household furnishings and my own