Dr. Kayla Fontenot and son Carter.

Dr. Fontenot: A study in determination

By Myra Miller
myra.miller@eunicetoday.com

Dr. Kayla Fontenot, Eunice’s newest OB/Gyn, is thrilled to be back home.
“I am excited to finally be home and without my entire family’s support I would not be where I am today,” Fontenot added.
Hers is a story of overcoming, one she is reluctant to share but encouraged to do so by her son Carter.
He said, “Go for it, Mom. It’s a great way to tell people not to give up and keep reaching for their dreams. There are no excuses.”
Fontenot became a mother at 16, but that didn’t keep her from pursuing her ambition -- graduate high school and become a physician.
Fontenot, 31, is the daughter of Joan Miller Fontenot Richard and Kevin Blaine Fontenot.
They divorced when she was in kindergarten and she moved here, after living in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, when was in the 5th grade, after stepfather Wayne Richard relocated to Troop I in Lafayette with the State Police.
Her move to Eunice was a happy event for Fontenot as she loved being around her paternal grandparents, Jack and Lois (now deceased) Miller, and paternal grandparents the late Joyce and Etney “Kit” Fontenot, all from Eunice.
She attended St. Edmund until graduating in 2001, as salutatorian and senior class president.
She was a promising basketball player, enjoying one summer of AAU ball before her junior year started, but that activity came to an end when she became pregnant.
Carter was born in April of her junior year of high school.
As a new and young mother, Fontenot continued her high school education and worked after school hours. She added, “I was 16 years old. I worked my senior year of high school for two hours every day after school at Acadian Engineers, thanks to Mr. Andre Aucoin and company for allowing me to do so.”
Fontenot at 18 began her career at LSU Eunice and studied for two years.
She said, “Then Carter and I moved to Baton Rouge. I received a Bachelor of Science. I did not get into medical school the first time I applied (later viewed as a God-send as Katrina hit New Orleans that year).
“I worked at the Bone and Joint Clinic in Baton Rouge as a Medical Assistant for the year I was out of school and re-applied for medical school.
“Carter and I then moved to New Orleans in 2006 after I was accepted to LSU School of Medicine there.
“I became part of the Rural Track, which provided a tuition stipend for those students who returned to rural areas of Louisiana to practice in one of five fields (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, OBGYN, Pediatrics, General Surgery). As part of the Rural Track, I would then do my clinical rotations in Lafayette at UMC during my 3rd and 4th year of medical school.
Fontenot was also required as a medical student to participate in a primary care clinic under a preceptor one day a week.
She added, “My uncle, Randy Miller, served as my preceptor during that time, exposing me to the Acadian Medical Center- served community. Carter and I moved back to Eunice during that time. I commuted to Lafayette and Carter attended St. Edmund.”
Fontenot had the opportunity to follow Dr. Donnie Barnes, an OBGYN, during her time spent at AMC. That’s when she says she found her niche.
“After completion of medical school in 2010, I went on the OBGYN residency training in Baton Rouge. I did most of my rotations at Earl K Long and Woman’s Hospital, as well as Baton Rouge General.
Fontenot completed her residency on June 30.
She moved back to Eunice in July and started seeing patients at her new practice, Women’s Healthcare of Acadiana, on Aug. 1.
Her office is located at 151 Hill St; Suite 3, next to Training Wheels.
She added, “I am ecstatic to be home, doing what I love and trained so hard to do… taking care of women in my hometown, along with Dr. Heinen, Dr. Barnes, and Dr. Kulkarni.
Carter Scott Andrus, 14, is a St. Edmund freshman and is her biggest fan and inspiration.
“He has taught me so much, which seems odd… because aren’t parents supposed to teach their children?
“Through him, I’ve learned what being a parent is all about, and I am still learning!
“I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for help, but it’s important not to take advantage. He reminds me daily, by his presence, what is truly important in life….God, family/friends, and serving others.
“He inspires me to never give up and that my sacrifices, his sacrifices, are for a bigger purpose.

Comments

So very proud of Dr. Fontenot and Carter. What a life lesson.

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