May 14 2014

Modern Mom – Stacey Knox

There’s nothing better than the Modern Mom referral. We call them “love letters,” and they usually come with an inspiring story and a desire to shine light on someone so deserving. Meet Stacey Knox – a local MoPa who travels to Rwanda each April as part of her passion to aid women’s global health. Match that with her love for family and a chic, yet sensible style, and it’s easy to see why we received that love letter.

What’s a typical day like? Our typical day begins at 4:30am. I head to Crossfit New Bedford for the 5am workout or go for a run with my girlfriends. It’s my “sanity” time. I return home around 6 and truly become more productive in the following 2 hours than I am all day. I catch up on e-mails, make lunches, feed the dogs, laundry then get my daughter and I ready for the day. Typically I drop her at school and head to work. My husband and I have variable schedules so every weekend we sit down and strategize who is doing pick ups and drop offs, grocery shopping, etc. It is organized chaos. Once we are all collected back home in the evenings, my husband makes a fabulous dinner. Austa tends to eat earlier than we do but we read to her or go over homework while she dines. Then it’s the usual stuff parents do at night: bath time, reading, bedtime. Brian and I will then have a few minutes to chat about the day and have our meal then I’m off to bed by 9.

Tell us more about your career? My career path was not clear in the beginning. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Biology and had no idea what to do with it. Before graduation I went to see my favorite professor who recommended graduate school. I went into the biomedical sciences program specializing in anatomy. All of my courses were with the medical students. As part of my training I taught them gross anatomy, histology and micro-anatomy. As I was finishing my dissertation I realized, if they can do it, so can I. I finished the last two years of my masters program with the first two years of medical school. I LOVED anatomy, I LOVED to operate and I had a real connection with women’s health. The rest is history. I was an obstetrician as well as gynecologist for 10yrs. My daughter was born and my whole outlook on the world and my career changed. I stopped doing obstetrics so that I could have more quality time with her which also allowed me to focus more on my surgical practice and to do what I had always dreamed, international women’s health.

Besides being Austa’s mama (clearly my most important job) my passion lies in women’s global health. For the past four years I have traveled to Rwanda in April for two weeks with the International Organization For Women and Development. It is an amazing group of surgeons, nurses and other medical professionals with the common goal of treating and preventing obstetrical fistulas. My role is to teach proper surgical technique and medical skills to young Rwandan doctors. In return they teach me how to do more with less. There are none of the modern luxuries we are afforded in the developed world. We operate in butcher’s aprons and rubber boots beneath our gowns because they are no longer impermeable. There are open windows in the operating rooms to keep the heat down. The surgical instruments are random and dull, yet they manage. The patients are incredibly resilient. They take care of each other preoperatively and postoperatively. The women in Rwanda are the primary caretakers of the children and the home. They are seen with babies on their backs and heavy loads of food or household items on their heads. Often they leave the hospital this way. They are hard working mothers, daughters and sisters with a strong sense of family. They are the true inspiration.

Best Mom Moments? Each year that I have traveled to Rwanda my daughter’s class has made bracelets for me to distribute to the patients and their children. This year there were silly band bracelets. My daughter takes great pride in telling other students and teachers what her mama does in Rwanda. She has even learned a few Kinyarwandan words and phrases. These “mom moments” are priceless to me as they are not prompted and she is so sincere and heartfelt.

My family in 3 words……….adventurous, humorous, supportive

How would you describe your personal style: Eclectic. I wear what reflects my life. I am relaxed and comfortable at work but not afraid to throw on an LBD and heels for a night out with my bo. I wear a lot of Cabi clothing as a portion of their proceeds go toward helping underprivileged women get on their business feet and whatever my friend Margaret at Details and Designs dresses me in. Most of my jewelry is from our travels. Each piece has a story. Shoes are my weakness, after all, the size doesn’t fluctuate.

Favorite thing right now? My favorite activity with Austa is reading. It is the only time she stops these days. It is our time to snuggle up together. It doesn’t matter whether I am reading or she is. It’s the closeness of it all. 

Three things in my handbag: chapstick, Aveda hand relief and my “grandma” reading glasses.

If it’s date night, where would we find you? I’m very happy with family date nights when all of us, including the dogs, cozy up on the couch for family movie night. With a nice glass of bourbon or wine, of course. Even if I have to watch Frozen, AGAIN.

Special thanks to Melissa of MoJa Photography

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