My Beginnings

This week has been a very hectic week. I was very sick over the weekend and today has been complete chaos. Now on top of everything else, I have a yeast infection and a rash all over my body! Which means another trip to the dermatologist. One more doctor for one more ailment.

Last week I promised that I would answer questions and talk about various obstacles I had growing up. When my mother was almost 8 months pregnant, she was hospitalized because she was bleeding profusely. So the doctors decided to deliver me by Caesarean. That's when it was discovered that my mother has a very rare blood type; her blood type is ABC with a negative HRH factor. I was very tiny--I was as long as a sub sandwich and just over 3 pounds!! Because I was premature, my bronchial tubes weren't fully developed. The doctors decided that I needed specialized care, so I was taken by ambulance to a hospital 90 minutes away that had a NICU devoted to premature infants. My parents visited me as often as they could while my Dad's parents took care of my two older brothers. My grandparents' farm was only a few miles from my parents' farm. After a month I was deemed fit to go home. I now weighed 5 pounds.


Since I was so tiny, my mother had to trim down my cloth diapers and fashion sewing patterns out of old newspapers and sewed all of my wardrobe rather than purchase babydoll clolthes. I was given the bedroom that was directly above the old coal furnace as the heat kept me nice and toasty during cold months. Because my eyes were very sensitive to light, there are very few baby pictures because they couldn't use they flashbulb on the camera and I could not be kept out in the sun except very briefly. My Mom told me that I slept a lot and often had to be awakened at feeding time.


I wore booties on my feet until I was two years old as there were no shoes small enough for me to wear. As soon as my parents were able to buy a pair of shoes that fit me, I began to walk. It was too hard to try to walk in booties on a hardwood floor. Even though I lagged behind as I was so petite, I think my mother would agree that I more than made up for it because I began to talk very early, and I haven't shut up since!!! Although I was very talkative around family, I was otherwise friendly, but shy. As a toddler, I enjoyed feeding our various animals and our chickens until one of the roosters took a hunk out of my face! Since the wound was so close to my left eye, the doctor was unable to stitch me up, so just bandaged it. I still have the scar as a reminder of the encounter.


1962 was not a very good year for me. I have no immunity to measles; therefore I have had them numerous times. The worse case occurred when I was four years old. I had measles in the lining of my stomach and in my throat. The stomach lining is made of blood. I vomited up copious amounts of blood. I was sure that I was dying. That was also the year that I had two hernia operations. I have a lasting picture in my mind of me jumping on an old mattress down in our basement when I suddenly felt intense pain. I have no other memory of either occurrence. Isn't the mind a wonderful thing?



I began first grade when I was six years old. We had no kindergarten at that time. My parents considered holding me back a year as I was so small, but decided to go ahead and enroll me in school as I was very eager to learn. I considered myself a big girl and wanted to go to school like my brothers. I was permitted to attend school with several considerations. A fellow student was assigned to be my "bathroom buddy" to make sure I was able to use the restroom without any mishaps and was able to reach the sink and the papertowels. To keep my legs from dangling all day long, the janitor built me a wooden box and painted it white on which I rested my feet.


At almost eight years old, I was pretty much the size of a three-year old toddler. I was three feet tall and just over 30 pounds. For the second year, I was sent home with a note from the school nurse informing my parents that I had once again failed the eye test. It was at this time that my parents began to follow-up on it and I was sent to various specialists. One doctor even had me wear an eye patch for awhile. I was told that while I did not have perfect vision, I did not yet need eyeglasses. That winter was exceptionally bitter and I began to have severe ear aches. My teacher kept warm cloths on the radiator for me to cover my ears with to try to ease my ear pain, and allow me to continue to remain in class. Back in those days girls were allowed to wear pants to and from school and during recess. But at times, I was given a pass and allowed to wear my pants all day.

When I was young, I did not have a hearty appetite like my brothers. But I was always very thirsty. I drank a lot of water, wonderful well water. This concerned my parents, so from the time I was little I was tested regularly for diabetes. I was generally tested every two years. Even though I had no other symptoms of diabetes, it was part of my family history.

Well, my time is up for this now, so will pick this up again next week. Hope you'll check in with me next Wednesday. Have a great week!

Love always, Darci