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Mother and son share dedication to helping kids with disabilities

Community Advocate - 2/7/2017

Westborough ? "I pretty much can't think of a time that I didn't want to be a pediatrician," said Dr. Catherine Nowak, medical director of The Feingold Center for Children, who shared that she was influenced by a childhood tragedy she experienced of losing a younger sister. About her current work, she added "It just was a good fit for what I had envisioned, since I was a child, for who I wanted to be helping ? families and other kids."

The Westborough resident's desire to help kids seems to run in the family. Her son, AJ, a senior at Westborough High School, devotes a lot of time and energy to the same cause. He runs a club that raises money for The Genesis Foundation for Children (TGFC), which supports the center where his mother works.

For more than 20 years, Nowak said she has had the "privilege" of taking care of children of all ages with genetic conditions, autism and various physical and intellectual disabilities. She said the center supports the patients' families in different ways. In addition to coordinating appointments with professionals outside of the center, the center also provides patient advocacy with schools and insurance companies.

"Our mission is not only to provide a diagnosis, but to also help families receive the best and most streamlined care for their child," explained Nowak. "We take a holistic approach ? learning about every aspect of their medical needs, their educational and therapeutic needs and their social needs."

Nowak said she has seen the positive impact The Genesis Foundation for Children funds have had on the center's ability to meet those needs. She recalled a situation where a family, whose daughter had a condition known as microcephaly ? in which the girl's head was significantly smaller than average ? was greatly concerned about the wellbeing of their little girl.

"I spent a couple of hours with them reassuring them that their daughter was healthy and wasn't showing serious delays," recalled Nowak, who added that it was support from TGFC that allowed her to spend that extra time with them.

"We saw the child and family frequently?and helped them get the developmental and medical services their daughter required. I'm happy to say that she is now a healthy, thriving 10-year-old who is at grade level in school with just a little extra help in math. She plays soccer and does gymnastics and karate. She has even run a lemonade stand to help raise money, so that TGFC can help other kids."

That enthusiasm for TGFC is something AJ has also felt since he was a child. When he was only 8 years old, he asked people to donate to TGFC, instead of giving him birthday gifts.

Nowak recalled, "He said he had everything he needed, and because he'd met some of the children who benefit from TGFC through my work, he wanted to help them."

TGFC, which supports the center, the Pregnancy Exposure InfoLine, Therapy and the Performing Arts ? Cape Cod, and similar nonprofits, has benefitted from AJ's dedication in other ways as well. In addition to raising money for the foundation by participating in the Falmouth Road Race, the altruistic teen founded The Genesis Foundation for Children at Westborough High School club. The club helps the foundation through activities such as bake sales, restaurant nights and toy drives. With 25-30 active members, it also helps out at foundation events.

Although AJ will graduate this year, he hopes the club will continue, and he hopes it will inspire others.

"We've been trying to instill the values in some of our younger students," said AJ. "One of the goals of me starting this club is to spread it out to other schools and places and?hopefully, make New England a better place."

While he hopes to inspire other students, he said his mother inspires him.

"I see her working late nights all the time," shared AJ. "I see the smiles she puts on the faces of the kids. I'm very proud of her."

And that feeling is mutual.

"I'm really proud of his giving nature," said Nowak. "Starting the club at his high school has been a great experience for him; the challenges?have taught him as much about leadership and how to motivate people as the successes."