Antonia Novello Biography in First Person

I am Antonia Novello. I was the first female and first Hispanic to be appointed surgeon general of the United States. As a former pediatrician, my concern was on the health of young children. As leader of the 6,500 employees of the Public Health Service, I directed the nation's attention to AIDS infected children, the dangers of smoking, and teenage drinking.
I was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, August 23, (1944 ).My parents were Antonio Coello and Ana Delia Coello. At the age of eight, my dad died, and from there on I was raised by my mother. When I was a child, I suffered from a painful illness of the colon which was section of the large intestine. I spent most of my summer in the hospital to receive treatments for this illness and I learned what it was like to be a helpless patient. …