A Legend In Her Own Time

A Legend in Her Own Time

The most unforgettable person I have ever met is Dr. Leila Daughtry-Denmark, a 108 year-old retired pediatrician who lives in Alpharetta. Perhaps you have heard of her. She has been the recipient of many awards and has been featured on television shows such as Good Morning America, and she is the author of the book Every Child Deserves a Chance. She was even featured in People Magazine in honor of her 100^th birthday.

Not only was Dr. Denmark my own doctor as a child, but she helped me through the raising of my own two sons as well. She is definitely out of the “mainstream” of modern medicine, and many of her methods and statements are considered controversial.

All I know is, Dr. Denmark helped me to raise two very healthy kids and she was always there when I needed her, any time of the day or night. Back when I had my first child in 1974, she was the only one (other than my husband and my own mother) who supported my decision to breastfeed my baby. Breastfeeding was definitely not the norm back in 1974, and was considered “strange” and just plain unacceptable by many.

When my friends learned that I wasn’t giving my child solid foods by 4 weeks of age, they were horrified and insisted that I would starve my child if I didn’t start feeding him soon. But of course, Dr. Denmark and I knew better. I just sat back and watched as my friends complained of having to change formulas several times to find one that their baby could tolerate, not to mention food allergies, colic, etc. And then there were the complaints about the cost of formula, getting up in the middle of the night to warm bottles, and of course the endless sterilization of those bottles. If they only knew.

Dr. Denmark also supported me in my decision to stay at home with my children until the youngest was in school. She used to talk about moms who would say, “I have to work because I just bought a new house”. Her reply was, “In twenty years, your house will be worn out and your baby will be gone”. No one could ever accuse Dr. Denmark of keeping her opinion to herself.

Before moving her office to a 120 year-old farmhouse in Alpharetta, she practiced out of her home in Sandy Springs. There was an abortion clinic nearby and she told me that when she drove by there and saw all of the cars in the parking lot, she would say to herself, “Can there really be that many women killing their babies today?” This was more than she could fathom. She often told me that every man in the world except Adam was born of and raised by a woman, and that motherhood is the hardest and most important job in the world.

Dr. Denmark confided in me that she had never even heard of a woman doctor before she went to medical school back in the 1920’s. She also told me that her decision to become a pediatrician was based on the fact that you either have to work for big people or little people, and she’d rather work for little people. I would definitely say that she made the right choice.

Dr. Denmark never made appointments. You simply went to her office, which was connected to her home by a carport, and signed your child’s name on the sign-in sheet which was located on an antique marble-topped table. Then you waited your turn, which could be a very long time, but it was always worth it. She would spend a long time with you and your child, giving all sorts of very valuable advice during the examination.

Sometimes if your child was very ill, or very contagious, she would tell you to come in through the back door and then you could be seen sooner and the other children wouldn’t have to be exposed to germs unnecessarily. When the weather was nice, you could sit out on the patio with other young mothers and discuss your mutual interests. Most of the conversation centered on child-rearing and how wonderful Dr. Denmark was.

People were always asking Dr. Denmark when she planned to retire. Her standard answer was, “When you see my name in the obituary column, you’ll know that I’ve retired.” I’m sure that she fully intended to keep that promise, but she recently had to retire due to failing eyesight caused by macular degeneration. Although retired, she has left a wonderful legacy with several generations of mothers and their children.

Some of my best memories both as a child and as a mother were those visits to Dr. Denmark. Even if I wasn’t feeling well, I looked forward to seeing her because I always knew that she would do something to make me feel better. Then when I became a mother, she encouraged me and helped me to be the best mom I could be.

I will forever carry with me the image of Dr. Denmark popping her head into the reception room to call the next child. She never looked to see who was next on the list. The moms always kept track of that. She would simply say, “Alright, who’s the next little angel?” As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Denmark was, and still is, the angel that guided so many of us mothers through the awesome responsibility of raising our children.