Davida Coady

Davida Coady (April 15, 1938 - May 3, 2018) was a U.S. pediatrician and international health activist. She was "devoted to the care of disadvantaged children, refugees, addicts, and lifers".

Early life and education Davida Coady was born Davida Taylor in Berkeley, California as an only child to Catholic parents. Her Scottish father had been a coal miner before immigrating to the US and became a shipping clerk for the University of California, Berkeley. Her mother Elizabeth Perry was a legal secretary and had grown up in San Francisco's Mission District.

Career After the 1967 Biafra War Coady worked as field director for Aid to Biafran Children, a non-governmental organisation to help amidst the famine, which threatened as many as 1 million people.

In 1998, Catholic Charities named her the "Bay Area Catholic Woman of the Year". Mother Teresa asked her to consider become a nun and medical director in Kolkata. She founded substance abuse centers.

In 2002, she married Tom Gorham, a recovering alcoholic, former criminal and homeless man, after they had met in prison. Gorham became the executive director of Options Recovery Services. He has said Coady was "driven by an intense desire to help people see past perceived obstacles".

Work Autobiography: Davida Coady, "The Greatest Good"