back then

I remember thanksgivng 1967.

I had finish my schooling in June of 1967 and was recruited to work for a company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. So in July of that year, my very pregnant wife and our 2 cats left Milwaukee, Wisconsin to start our new life

We found a place to live and then one day in September I received a call at work that Sandra was in labor and in the hospital. The day was here! i would become a dad. Late that night, as I waited in the waiting room the doctor came up to me and told me to sit down. I knew then that something was wrong. I can recall his words to this day. He said " I hate this part of my job. I know you have been trying for sometime to have a child." Then he told me that my son may not live the night. He had an encelfliseal. (sp) Travis had a bag on the back of his head, as big as his head. What was in that seal we did not know. I could be part of his brain or spinal fluid. Either way, it was not good. As he went back to take care of him and Sandra I felt as if a tree had fallen on me. I remember reading somewhere that in a dream things don't hurt. So I bit myself, it hurt. I was not dreaming.

A few hours later, after tell us the risks they went and removed the seal, it had been filled with spinal fluid and he would most likely be what is called a "waterhead" Now back in 1968 shunts were just coming out. They were new and had not yet come to Cedar Rapids but they could send for one from the Mayo clinic. Of course we said yes.

Then we waited for weeks,

Just before Thanksgiving we were glad to be able to take our son home. But life, being life, found me on strike. Just enough money to buy food and a few other things. But we were to happy to worry about that. We took our son home for the first time. One day, still on strike Sandra and I took our son and went to town to window shop. We were not thinking that Thanksgiving was just a couple of days away. We walked to town, window shopped, then went back home to our apartment.

As we walked to our door, we saw a box on the step. We took Travis in and I went for the box. Surprise! There was a big turkey and all the other things that make a thanksgiving dinner. Pie! Rolls! Veggies! Butter! Punch! Every think a king would have had. We had a great dinner and you know what? To this day I have no idea who gave it to us. Did not know who to thank. But we were thankfull.

As a post script, my son Travis lived for one year and 29 days. Enough time to meet my mom and dad and his other grandma. He lives in our heart and he shared that special thaksgiving with us.