During this time he had choking spells in which he would almost swallow his tongue. So the doctor put a thread through the tip of Kevin's tongue and tied the end of the thread to a small pair of scissors. This was to keep his tongue pulled forward so it wouldn't fall back into his throat. Poor Kevin! He cried so much. He must have been in great pain. I prayed that if it was his time to die that he would be taken quickly so he wouldn't have to suffer so long.
During this stay in the hospital the doctor asked my permission to perform a gastronomy on Kevin. This was a process where a rubber tube was placed in the abdomen and about eight inches of the tube protrudes outward and this had a metal clip on the end to keep it closed. When he was fed the clip was removed and the liquid food was poured into the tube, then the clip was replaced. This process took about ten minutes to feed him compared to the two hours it previously took him to eat. I was in favor of the operation because it would save a great deal of time and also Kevin was getting thin from lack of nourishment.
We visited Kevin everyday. Finally the news came that he was ready to come home. A visiting nurse came to the house to teach me how to feed him through the tube. It didn't take long to learn the technique. I suddenly had to much time to spare. Only ten minutes to feed Kevin, and Janie was feeding herself by this time.
Kevin was hospitalized so often that the nurses remembered him from one time to the next. He was there every nine to ten months.
Several months later, on a Halloween night, Kevin was rushed to the hospital again. This time for an appendectomy. It burst before the operation began. It was doubtful if he would pull through. Kevin must have a strong constitution to recover from all the serious illnesses he has had.
Mom stayed with me during the operation. John didn't want to come. A change was taking place with John. He didn't want to visit with Kevin anymore. He would come to the hospital with me, but he would either stay out in the hall or downstairs. The more often Kevin was hospitalized, the further John and I drifted apart.
Now after all our tragedies, our marriage was falling apart. John started drinking heavily and staying away from home for days at a time. How could he do this to me? After all, I'm human too. I was hurt and depressed by all our troubles, but you can't give in to them. You have to pick up the pieces and begin again.
Then in March 1961, John deserted me. Our marriage lasted ten years. We were married young. I had been seventeen and he was twenty. We had had the whole world to look forward to and now it was all over. The only thing that kept me going for the next few months was the fact that I was four months pregnant.
Sonny was born a few months later. He was normal and healthy. I thought after the baby came that John would come back home, but he didn't.
During this time I started taking Kevin to a private chiropractor. The medical doctor could do nothing more for him. He was still having numerous epileptic seizures every day and he was totally disabled due to the fact that he had cerebral palsy along with epilepsy.
Kevin couldn't hold his head up very well and had no use of his arms and legs. He had four years of chiropractic care and during this time his health improved drastically. Not one time in these four years has Kevin had any serious illnesses, compared to being hospitalized every few months before chiropractic care.
After a few years, my doctor advised me to take Kevin to Children's Chiropractic Center. This clinic is free for those who can't afford private treatments.
When we started, Kevin was given thorough examinations, a blood test, numerous x-rays and a cardiogram. All these were given before the treatment's began.
After he was given the first adjustment, there was a slight change in Kevin's seizures. Then after a few more adjustments, his seizures cut down to about twenty a day compared to one hundred or so previously. Since this time, Kevin's neck has become stronger so he can hold his head up better and he moves his right arm around, whereas before he never used it. For the first time I now have some hope for him.
During these few months of going to the clinic, several times weekly, I have become acquainted with a very wonderful doctor. She had not only helped Kevin physically, but has become a much needed friend and a great inspiration to me. She has encouraged me to look at things more positively, something which I have not been able to do these last few years, alone.
She advised me to set a goal and let nothing enter to distract me from that goal.
If I work at this and have faith, many wonderful things can happen.
THE END
UPDATE:
John never returned to his family and never helped support them and because of that they had to go on welfare. He rarely ever saw his two youngest children. He died around 1970 in a workplace accident.
His wife is alive and doing well, along with his two youngest children who now have children of their own.
Kevin passed away around 1994, he made some improvements over the years, though not many but was still totally diabled and he continued to be cared for at home by his mother.
It also amazes me how far medical care has come since that time, and how maybe some of these disabilities may have been treated somewhat differently.
As I said at the beginning of this story, I did not write it and I copied it exactly like it was given to me, although I did change the names for privacy reasons. To me, it is a story of courage, love and strength.
KATHY
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