When Life Begins In Rehab Summary

Baby Recovers from Heroin Addiction It is very hard to believe what happens to people when they let drugs take over their lives. Especially mothers who are pregnant. In Lenny Bernstein’s article, “When Life Begins in Rehab: A baby heals after a mother’s heroin addiction,” he describes a mother’s life after her baby is born addicted to heroin. The article gives insight to a world that most people do not ever get to see. In my opinion, the article is sad, but enlightening at the same time. The theme of this article is hope; hope for a new beginning and a better life. This article depicts a specific story of a child who had to go through heroin withdrawals after being born. The child’s name was Makenzee Kennedy, and her mother, who was using heroin and other drugs while Makenzee was in the womb, is Ashley Kennedy. About a month after birth, Makenzee was sent to a drug rehab facility, as she had been

I appreciated how the author tried to make it more about Makenzee’s recovery than her mother’s drug use. I feel like the author left out important details regarding her withdrawal. He also did not discuss more of the scientific side of why Makenzee’s withdrawals were so severe. He plainly stated her symptoms and the amount of time she was in the rehabilitation center. On the other hand, I liked how the author kept the article on a personal level, giving us the names of those involved and a little bit about their life story. The author’s goal was to spread awareness about the withdrawals of babies who are born addicted to heroin. In my opinion, the author achieved his goal. He made the article sad and compassionate enough to touch every person that reads it. I know now that I would adopt any baby that goes through this struggle. Makenzee was a lucky case though; the article stating that most parents who are addicted to heroin usually do not stop, putting their child in danger, ultimately getting it taken away from