Then one after another my two brothers and other sister
became sick and day by day all were hospitalized with that terrible disease. My
folks trying to protect me, kept me isolated from others. Alone at home, I had no way of knowing what
was happening. At only ten and a half years
old, I was responsible but scared of this strange scourge surrounding me. My dad came home each night and told me how
my siblings were doing. Then one day a
week later he promised that my older brothers and sister were slowly
recovering, but would be in the hospital for a couple more weeks. However, little Ruthie was still in critical
condition and had been transferred by ambulance to Casper, a little over 200
miles away. It was the closest hospital
that had an iron lung that she needed in order to breathe. Mom would stay with her until her conditioned
stabilized.
So Daddy and I continued the business of life. We ate, did our chores and listened to the
radio. Every afternoon he would go to
town to check on his other children, and call Mom from the hospital to get an
update on Ruthie. After what seemed like
forever, the kids in the Cody hospital
were released, and by that time Ruthie was stable so Mom also came home, but
made the long trek to Casper to visit Ruthie every few weeks.
Part Three will be published Tuesday June 3rd. (Part One was published May 28th.)
Part Three will be published Tuesday June 3rd. (Part One was published May 28th.)
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