Meet Patricia Addie-Gentle: Registered Nurse, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patricia Addie-Gentle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patricia, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am a native Georgian. I was born and raised in Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia. My upbringing as an only child in the home of a Baptist minister helped to mold who I am. It influenced my behavior throughout my attendance in the public school system as well as continuing to influence me during my career choices. I grew up understanding that people are different. I learned to respect those differences. As a child, I saw people during their highest, most exuberant moments as well as during their saddest, lowest , most uncomfortable times. I guess you can say, it was very early in life that I learned empathy and how to interject a special brand of comfort.
Promoting comfort to those who are disheartened has become my mantra. During my career in healthcare, I have been present during birth, during emergencies, during sickness, during recovery, during the stages of dying , and yes even during death. Whatever vulnerable state I happen to encounter, my role as a comforter comes natural. I owe a large portion of this natural ability to my upbringing.

What should our readers know about your business?
The vision for Successful Kids Learning Solutions, Inc. is to help vulnerable children who live in Clayton County to escape the bonds of poverty and hopelessness by providing education, life skills, and values in a caring environment that will empower them to successfully move into the mainstream of society. This vision will benefit all children, but especially those with similar life consequences as Debra. The ultimate goal of Successful Kids is to construct a daycare center on the 2.2 acres we have purchased for the business. I am especially proud of the unique, marketable services that we will offer, particularly our sick daycare rooms. Students who are enrolled at the center will be able to continue to attend even during periods of mild illness. Since our focus is prevention of chronic conditions, other initiatives are geared towards nutrition, physical activity, and educational success. We will include a bike riding trail, a community garden, and a nutrition game for kids which we created and patented. We will also feature a tutorial program for children who struggle academically.
It has been a journey to get this far along with this project. There is still a lot of work that remains. Many lessons have been learned along the way. Some of these lessons were learned through trial and error, consults with other business owners, and memberships in organizations that provide mentors. The most important lesson I have learned is to allow strategies time to be proven or disproven before changing gears. This is a slow, meticulous process, but well worth the ride. At the end of the journey I hope this company can have a concrete record of encouraging children and their families to be successful. This mission will strengthen the community at large.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Assuming that my friend and I are the same gender and have similar interests, and assuming that we are in the same age range, and if there is no pandemic, I would go with this itinerary:

Day 1 – Sunday Brunch with mimosas at The Flying Biscuit
A movie (my friend’s choice)

Day 2 – Monday: Shopping (maybe at Tanger Outlet Stores)
Dinner and cocktails at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Sun Dial Restaurant

Day 3 – Tuesday: Pamper Day
A day at the spa (massages) – Spa Envy
Manicure and Pedicure

Day 4 – Wednesday:
Live concert or event at the Fox Theatre

Day 5 – Thursday:
Paint snd Sip event at Palettes
Cocktails and dinner at Underground Atlanta

Day 6 – Friday:
Tour Chateau Elan with wine tasting
Lunch and dinner meals included

Day 7 – Saturday
Tour the King Center
Tour the World of Coke
Dinner at Ponce City Market

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Once I was totally committed to a career in healthcare, I encountered a young patient who forever changed my life. I fell in love with a young girl who was frequently in and out of the hospital with complications of Type 1 Diabetes. She was from a dysfunctional family and inherited the misfortune of poor quality home care. She had been placed in foster care. It would break my heart to see her write letters to her mother in hopes that she would come for a visit. I quickly, impulsively decided that I would adopt this child who was 5 or 6 years old at the time we first met. I wanted her to have a chance to live a fulfilling life during her remaining years. I wanted so badly to expose her to a quality of life, love and enjoyment that she had never had the privilege of experiencing. I soon realized that my heart was in the right place, but I had not yet turned 25 years old and lacked parenting skills. I also needed more life experiences to fully parent a child with a diagnosis of a long-standing chronic condition.
This patient, Debra, impacted my nursing career in so many ways. She enhanced my keen awareness of when and how to comfort. She furthered my ability to accept and to love people, regardless of their circumstances. I feel that Debra also is one of the reasons I founded the non-profit organization, Successful Kids Learning Solutions, Inc. The initiatives of the organization will be beneficial to all children, especially children who have life consequences similar to those experienced by Debra.
I must give a shout out to the Director of Nursing at the hospital where I got my start. She encouraged me to change my major from pre-medical studies to nursing. Mrs. Theresa Chavarria was a mentor for me and cultivated my early experiences in nursing to include working every element of service that the hospital provided. Other mentors and incredible nurses who took me under their wings and taught me were Mrs. Derether Moten, Mrs. Carolyn Render, and Mrs. Annie Thompson.
The Medal of Valor and Courage goes to my patient, Debra. I will always remember her courage and her resilience as I continue my work to prevent chronic disease in children.

Website: https://successfulkidslc.org/about-us-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfulkidslearning/

Image Credits
None