Minda Lazarov (1955-2011), API former Board member and Resource Advisory Council Member
Tribute by friend and API cofounder Barbara Nicholson
Remembering Minda Lazarov, 1955-2011
 Minda, Barbara, and Lysa at the BFHI/API fundraiser "Mothers of Music Rock the War Memorial" Nashville, TN, 1997 |
Our dear friend and sister in the cause of healthy babies and families passed away on October 6th. Minda Lazarov will always be a legend to so many people in the world of breastfeeding, nutrition, and environmental health.
I first met her at a park in Nashville in the early 90's, marching around on a hot August day with babies and signs celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. At the time she was the Tennessee State coordinator for Breastfeeding, and she was on fire to help WIC moms have successful breastfeeding experiences. She was so thrilled to get funding to offer these moms free diapers to attend breastfeeding support groups, and found creative ways to compete with the free formula that the hospitals would hand out to new mothers.
Next thing I knew, Minda was the director for the U.S. committee for UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). She was able to stay in Nashville, open an office at Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing and run a national campaign to encourage hospitals to educate all maternity staff about breastfeeding. One of the biggest obstacles for a hospital to receive the "BFHI" accreditation was to break ties with the formula industry and stop giving formula to breastfeeding mothers. Minda was tireless in her efforts, and under her watch many hospitals rose to the challenge, improving breastfeeding rates and empowering doctors, nurses and other staff to review and improve their breastfeeding education.
But the most amazing story about Minda is not her accomplishments in all of her passionate endeavors, but her personal journey of having to do battle with cancer since she was 15 years old. In spite of years of cancer and recovery, she married, had a daughter, Shea (after she was told she would never have children), breastfed her daughter, and became a powerhouse of advocacy for mothers around the world.
Eventually she had a double mastectomy, and more cancers that forced her to leave her position with UNICEF, but within a few years she was back on the local scene, becoming the director of Vanderbilt's Mother-Infant Health Outreach Worker (MIHOW) program. Again, her tireless efforts helped mothers in rural and inner city neighborhoods find strong mentors, teaching attachment parenting at the 'grass roots', reminding mothers that their job is the most important job in the world.
Toward the end of her life, even though she had retired from MIHOW, she found the strength to work on environmental causes and with her husband Barry Sulkin was able to spearhead a rally that prevented a commercial development in one of the last rural neighborhoods in the greater Nashville area. We're hoping that this community will be free to develop organic farming that feeds our area produce for generations to come. What a fitting tribute to a nutritionist who transformed her personal journey of health challenges to quietly working to make our planet a more ecologically balanced place, safe, peaceful , and strong.
Much Love to you Minda, and so much gratitude.
