Saturday, October 09, 2004
HOMEWARD BOUND....JUNE 1980
April 26th was a banner day for both of us. Warren’s brother and wife from Walla Walla, WA. came to visit and spent a couple of days with us. We were able to get Warren out of the hospital for a car ride by putting the wheel chair in the trunk and Don lifting him in the seat. We drove all around the Denver area and saw the sights, stopped for ice-cream and then came back to Fitz. It was a wonderful interlude to our long stretches of days in the hospital. They stayed at a motel and took me back to the Guest House each night.
Don was able to take Warren to physical therapy a couple of times and was impressed with the therapy room. The day finally came when they had to leave and, of course, we hated to see them go. Warren was about ready to be fit for a prosthesis and was anxious to be up on his feet again. Dr. Campbell took the traction off of the stump and said the skin had healed over the end of the bone so in a couple more days he would be ready for fitting.
April 29th was the first time Warren got to go down to the cafeteria with me to eat. It looked good to see him at a table again eating his food and I’m sure it was a mental boost for him as well. From now on I would get up early enough to take Warren down to the main floor to eat with me and then back upstairs until time for PT. The last day of April came and went; Dr. Campbell said tomorrow we would finally get to fit Warren with crutches. Whereas the wheel chair had been a big step up at one time, now we were anxious to get on to the crutches.
One of the situations in a military hospital is meeting people and getting acquainted…then later, they are released and gone. It was almost a daily thing to wave goodbye to some and say hello to others. It was always sad to see them go for a part of you went with them each time. We met some wonderful people while we were at Fitzsimmons…Leonard Wood as well.
Chaplain Adamson asked us to visit with a man who was in for cancer treatment that was terminal. He had been in construction over in Arabia when it was discovered. Chaplain Adamson told us his wife wouldn’t come see him she was so angry over the cancer and that he had recently become a born again Christian. He was at peace but the Chaplain thought it would do him good to visit with us. We went to see him on the second floor which we knew was the terminal cancer floor. He was cordial to us and told us his story….we told him ours.
We went back to see him often and once he was able to come to our room in a wheel chair. He died later in the summer and we were sorry to hear it but knew that he was at last in a place that knew no pain. He died without his family. We were asked by one of the doctor’s if we would allow a medical student to interview us because of our positive attitude. He was working up a paper on how faith helps patients through hard times. We agreed and the med student told us that our file from Leonard Wood had intrigued him. The file told that we were born again Christians and that because of our witness in the hospital and the miraculous recovery it had made an impact on the whole hospital…..staff, medical, patients, mail room and so on. They had the whole documentation of our stay there and the outcome. It made him want to interview us to see how we kept on track with so much against us.
It made us feel kind of silly, to tell you the truth. It wasn’t a brave, spiritual reaction to the circumstances. It happened and our faith worked because God is real…..and because we know our life is in His hands. The outcome is up to Him and we found peace in that. Not much more to say. There comes a time in everyone’s life when you’re up against odds that don’t look too good….if your faith is real…it kicks in. If you’re an imposter…..forget it.
Warren was unable to have good use of either hand and was tested for Carpal tunnel….it tested positive. Dr. Hopkinson couldn’t get him into surgery for a couple of weeks and he thought it do us both good to go back home for a little R&R before he corrected the problem. The head nurse taught me how to dress Warren’s stump and wrap it in elastic bandages so it wouldn’t cut the circulation off. They boxed up huge amounts of wraps, cotton, Betadine and pads. We were to fly out on June 5th so I packed up and we told everyone goodbye for a while….. until our return.
We were loaded onto the bus going to Buckley Field and were airborne at 11:30am. We flew to Offut Airbase at Omaha and on to Forbes in Topeka. We set down on the airfield at Leonard Wood by 3:45pm…….back in Missouri…..and home. The very sound of it brings joy to any vagabond heart……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Don was able to take Warren to physical therapy a couple of times and was impressed with the therapy room. The day finally came when they had to leave and, of course, we hated to see them go. Warren was about ready to be fit for a prosthesis and was anxious to be up on his feet again. Dr. Campbell took the traction off of the stump and said the skin had healed over the end of the bone so in a couple more days he would be ready for fitting.
April 29th was the first time Warren got to go down to the cafeteria with me to eat. It looked good to see him at a table again eating his food and I’m sure it was a mental boost for him as well. From now on I would get up early enough to take Warren down to the main floor to eat with me and then back upstairs until time for PT. The last day of April came and went; Dr. Campbell said tomorrow we would finally get to fit Warren with crutches. Whereas the wheel chair had been a big step up at one time, now we were anxious to get on to the crutches.
One of the situations in a military hospital is meeting people and getting acquainted…then later, they are released and gone. It was almost a daily thing to wave goodbye to some and say hello to others. It was always sad to see them go for a part of you went with them each time. We met some wonderful people while we were at Fitzsimmons…Leonard Wood as well.
Chaplain Adamson asked us to visit with a man who was in for cancer treatment that was terminal. He had been in construction over in Arabia when it was discovered. Chaplain Adamson told us his wife wouldn’t come see him she was so angry over the cancer and that he had recently become a born again Christian. He was at peace but the Chaplain thought it would do him good to visit with us. We went to see him on the second floor which we knew was the terminal cancer floor. He was cordial to us and told us his story….we told him ours.
We went back to see him often and once he was able to come to our room in a wheel chair. He died later in the summer and we were sorry to hear it but knew that he was at last in a place that knew no pain. He died without his family. We were asked by one of the doctor’s if we would allow a medical student to interview us because of our positive attitude. He was working up a paper on how faith helps patients through hard times. We agreed and the med student told us that our file from Leonard Wood had intrigued him. The file told that we were born again Christians and that because of our witness in the hospital and the miraculous recovery it had made an impact on the whole hospital…..staff, medical, patients, mail room and so on. They had the whole documentation of our stay there and the outcome. It made him want to interview us to see how we kept on track with so much against us.
It made us feel kind of silly, to tell you the truth. It wasn’t a brave, spiritual reaction to the circumstances. It happened and our faith worked because God is real…..and because we know our life is in His hands. The outcome is up to Him and we found peace in that. Not much more to say. There comes a time in everyone’s life when you’re up against odds that don’t look too good….if your faith is real…it kicks in. If you’re an imposter…..forget it.
Warren was unable to have good use of either hand and was tested for Carpal tunnel….it tested positive. Dr. Hopkinson couldn’t get him into surgery for a couple of weeks and he thought it do us both good to go back home for a little R&R before he corrected the problem. The head nurse taught me how to dress Warren’s stump and wrap it in elastic bandages so it wouldn’t cut the circulation off. They boxed up huge amounts of wraps, cotton, Betadine and pads. We were to fly out on June 5th so I packed up and we told everyone goodbye for a while….. until our return.
We were loaded onto the bus going to Buckley Field and were airborne at 11:30am. We flew to Offut Airbase at Omaha and on to Forbes in Topeka. We set down on the airfield at Leonard Wood by 3:45pm…….back in Missouri…..and home. The very sound of it brings joy to any vagabond heart……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
