YOUNG MICHAEL DOWNEY will grow up knowing that he is important. Important enough that his mother, Patricia Zecchilli, found the strength and motivation to overcome a ten-year cocaine addiction and begin taking better care of them both. Important enough that Patricia learned how to ask for, and accept, help from agencies in her community—including Somerville Early Head Start (EHS). Important enough that Patricia strives daily to ensure that both she and Michael will have a better future than she once believed possible.
Patricia had already lost one pregnancy to her cocaine addiction when she became pregnant with Michael. Fearful of losing a second baby, but still in the grips of her addiction, she was referred to the EHS and began receiving home visits. The doctor providing her prenatal care had been performing regular drug screens. Unable to deter her drug use, he reported her case to the Department of Social Services (DSS). Finally, facing the choice between entering a residential drug treatment program or losing custody of her soon-to-be born child, Patricia began to see that she needed to deal with her addiction.
Raised by her grandmother, Patricia knew the pain of growing up wondering where her mother—an alcoholic unable to raise any of her nine children—was, what had happened to her, and why she could not take care of or be with her children. Patricia became determined not to allow her own child to experience those same feelings of rejection and loss. In her seventh month of pregnancy, Patricia found the strength to stop using drugs.
Michael was born at seven-and-a-half months, weighing just three pounds and six ounces. As a newborn he evidenced the respiratory, muscular, and sensory problems typically caused by prenatal drug abuse, in addition to the challenges associated with premature birth. While Michael remained in the neonatal intensive care unit, Patricia entered a treatment program. She visited him daily until his weight reached five pounds. Then he was transferred to her care at the drug treatment facility. Patricia was making good progress in her recovery. Yet, she was concerned that her schedule kept her separated from Michael for too much of the day and was interfering with their bonding. She asked her case manager to move her into an outpatient treatment program so that she and Michael could go home.
When her request was granted, Patricia and Michael moved back into the community where she had previously been enrolled in EHS. The program staff had maintained contact with Patricia during her inpatient treatment, calling frequently to see how she was doing and to offer their support. As a result, Patricia felt respected and cared about. She was eager to return to the program, recognizing that both she and Michael were going to need a lot of help—help that EHS could provide.
EHS and the Early Intervention program (funded by the state of Massachusetts) began intensive work with Michael and Patricia to overcome the developmental challenges resulting from his early exposure to cocaine. Patricia also set to work on her own plan of action, assisted by her DSS case manager and her EHS home visitor. Cynthia Vivian, a family support worker with EHS, worked with Patricia to develop a Family Partnership Agreement designed to assist her in reaching self-sufficiency, self-care, and developmental goals.
Cynthia helped educate Patricia about the variety of resources available in the community and how to access those resources. With Cynthia’s support, Patricia was able to complete the paperwork and keep appointments which led to energy assistance, furniture donations, a Section 8 housing voucher, and even Christmas presents for Michael. Patricia found it difficult to believe that help was there for the asking. She found it even more difficult to ask in the first place. After a lifetime of keeping her fears and feelings inside and not wanting anyone to feel sorry for her, Patricia discovered that taking action to care for herself and Michael increased her confidence and self-respect. “I had no self-esteem,” Patricia says, “but now I love myself and I love Michael. I thank God every single day for letting me have my son. And I deserve a lot of the credit too.”
As a result of therapies implemented via the Early Intervention program and individualized home visit activities via EHS, Michael’s development has progressed to the point where there are few remaining traces of his initial delays. A child care voucher facilitated by DSS made it possible for Michael to attend a center-based child care program in the community and required Patricia to seek employment. It had been ten years since she last held a job. Initially the search was both scary and frustrating. During her job search, Patricia began volunteering at Michael’s child care center. It was not long before the center director noticed her skill and comfort with the children and asked Patricia to consider working in the center.
Patricia was surprised by the offer, but excited and definitely interested in the job. She now works as a teaching assistant in the center’s infant room and is beginning her Child Development Associate training. Patricia says the job helps keep her motivated to maintain her sobriety and to continue taking care of her health. “It gives me a sense of responsibility and somewhere to go. I work my eight hours, and at the end of the day I feel excellent.” Since beginning work, Patricia has been paying off financial debts accrued during her years of drug use. She has begun thinking about goals for the future. Her employer will reimburse her educational expenses, which means she will soon be able to start saving money for Michael’s education instead. “I want him to have a good life and to be comfortable, and I want to give him all the love I can give him.”
In meeting her own physical and mental health needs, Patricia has also learned a lot about how to support Michael’s well-being. “You have to take care of yourself in order to have strength and be able to take care of your child. Michael senses and reacts to my feelings. If a parent is upset or tense, a child feels the vibes and gets worked up too. It affects their appetite, their sleep, everything. You’d be amazed what they can sense.”
Patricia admits that despite her tremendous progress, it has not always been easy. When she first returned home from inpatient treatment, everyday items in her surroundings often triggered her desire to numb her emotions with drugs. But she says that having Michael to care for gave her the will to change. According to Patricia, each day of change is another step on the road to recovery. “Each day I wake up in the morning, and I’m stronger than the last day.”
Michael continues to grow stronger as well. His therapy continues in order to support his fine motor development, but his respiratory and sensory problems have been eliminated. He is a joyful, friendly, and energetic toddler, and his mother dotes on him. Says Patricia, “When he was born and I saw him, my love for him was incredible. No drug in the world could take priority over him.”
Larissa Zoot is an Early Head Start Program Specialist for ACF Region I.
This story is written with special thanks to Patricia Zecchilli for sharing her story, and to JoAnn Thrasher, Patricia Elliott, and Cynthia Vivian at Somerville Early Head Start.
See also:
Adult
Health, Head Start Bulletin #75 [PDF, 6.48MB]
