'Greatest Gift' message rings stronger than ever
The Two Greatest Gifts: Love and Good Health
Certainly I remember when I learned about love – from my father. He was 42 years old when he married my mother, who was 24 years his junior. Daddy didn’t know one thing about raising children. Especially four girls – but he had the gift of love. My mother spanked us and corrected us, but we always knew where to go for sympathy and comfort – in Daddy’s arms. He always felt sorry for us and patted our tears away. Well you can imagine how my mother felt and we all know this is not the way to bring up our children, motherless. We grew up and developed love and respect for both our parents, but for our father it was a deep love we all could not explain. For one thing I believe we all realized he was older and we wouldn’t have him as long. I was a daddy’s girl from the beginning. Then I had two little sisters who were absolutely pests – anyway I thought so at the time. I don’t remember that I was actually a spoiled child, but just had a lot of affection and attention.
My mother’s cousin visited us when I was five. I remember he had the old fashioned red measles and was so ill he nearly died. I remember my mother fumigating his room, but I didn’t know what that was. When our family doctor was called to give us our injection, I remember hiding so I wouldn’t get mine – of course they found me, but I remember Daddy telling the doctor I probably didn’t need a shot for I was too healthy to catch anything. Well, three weeks later my sisters, Virginia and Pauline, were the most pitiful red specked things you ever saw, and I knew my parents were worried about them. It was Spring and I went outside and played, never realizing how sick they were and how lucky I was. Then came the mumps, chicken pox and the dreaded whooping cough. They had them all and whooped all over me, but I didn’t catch a thing. My parents decided I was just plain immune to everything. I did have ear aches now and then, but Daddy would hold me on his lap until I was comfortable and fell asleep.
My first public appearance was in the first grade. My teacher, Miss Appleby, wanted me to tell the story of the “Three Billy Goat Gruffs” in front of the P.T.A. The very thought of sitting up there in front of those mothers petrified me, but then I realized my mother would come to P.T.A. to see me and it would be worth it. My mother then was 24 years old and knew she was very pretty and I wanted everyone to see her. My mother came and brought my litter sister Virginia. I got up in front and tried to get out the first word, but my sister was making a face at me. I could hear Miss Appleby off to the side in a very anxious voice keep saying “start.” Well, I got through alright, somehow, and my mother was very proud of me. As for Virginia, I couldn’t wait to get her home.
My childhood was a very happy, normal one except my parents added another girl and two boys to our family. My father knew less about rearing girls as time went by. Imagine four teenage girls all wearing the same size clothes. We had many a squabble and it seems I won most of them because I was the oldest and the folks decided I should always look my best. We worried all those years about losing my father because he was so much older. Well, he lived to be 85. Ten years of that time he had a terrible heart. The heart specialist said he must have nine lives for no one could live with a heart like that. Our minister said it was love that kept him alive. Love for his family and our love and devotion to him. One day he developed pneumonia and his dear heart just couldn’t take that too. We all have missed him so, but this love we learned from him we are passing on to our children and there is no greater gift.
Good health we all take for granted too, I am sure. I certainly did mine. Anyway, I never was ill except colds and a few minor things like that. My sister, Virginia, was different. She has always been more or less a chronic complainer, but with good reason I am sure. When she was younger she had a tonsillectomy, then a kidney ailment. While having her family of four she had a lot of trouble along the way. My family just came naturally with no ill after effects to me. When I found I was to have my last baby, I was not too happy. We had had five and they were all old enough now so they didn’t require all of my time. For the first time in two years I had some time to myself. We had a very nice little boy, Michael. I’m ashamed to say now, I had hoped it was the menopause for me, but he has been the joy of all our lives. We couldn’t have gotten along without him. I was 39 at the time and just got along fine. My sisters said one day, “I just can’t imagine being so healthy. I just envy you.” Kiddenly I remarked, “Oh don’t worry. Someday I will fall apart all at the same time or will get something horrible.” Of course this was all in fun.
Just 15 months ago, to be exact, August 1, 1963, I had a checkup, the first I had since Michael was born. My doctor put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Mrs. Ferguson, I am afraid I have bad news for you.” He said, “I am so sure I am going to go ahead and make arrangements for you to go into the hospital next week.” He said, “You have a thickening in your cervix, unmistakably cancer.” Well I was so stunned I couldn’t move or say a word and I didn’t. He said, “You have certainly been a good patient,” but what he didn’t realize I was too dumbfounded to move. He took the usual biopsy and of course the report came back cancer in the third stage. The doctor said, “I can’t treat you for you are inspearable.” I was still dumbfounded but I did get enough courage to ask how long I would have. He said, “Maybe five years.” The first thing I thought popped in my head was the age that each of my children would be in five years and could my dear husband take care of them without me. I knew he would have to and I just couldn’t force myself leaving them all. Somehow I kept this all to myself for two weeks. How, I don’t know. I finally called a dear man from our church out to talk to me one evening. I confided all to him. He said, “Letha, you will have to tell your husband. It isn’t fair to him . . . You may think it easy to talk to someone dear to you, but it isn’t. Somehow if you have had the kind of warning you’ve had and been close to each other and never any secrets, it’s so difficult. Otherwise, it might have been easier. Somehow you want to spare them of the agony you have had.” Well, for someone who had always had good health, you can imagine what I had to face.
My doctor told me he had made an appointment at K.C. Medical Center with one of the best cancer specialist in the country. He said if anything could be done he could do it. One week later I was in the hospital. The new doctor was very nice and I had the feeling he felt badly about me for different times he remarked something to the effect that I had five children to raise up. First I had a radiation implant for 72 hours, then 25 cobalt treatments for 25 days straight. Then back in the hospital for 72 more hours of radiation. I couldn’t begin to tell you about all this and I am not too sure I want to, but after all this was over my doctor examined me and said he could find no trace of the tumor in its original place. He said, “Well, it looks like you’ll be around to water the daisies instead of pushing them up as I had thought.” I go back to the hospital every six months for a complete checkup and x-rays. So far everything has checked O.K. I am suffering from after effects from radiation and I am quite uncomfortable at times. My doctor assures me someday nature will get sick of this radiation and if the cancer doesn’t show up, can anyone imagine how I must feel? So far they can find no trace and believe me they check you often and thoroughly. What hurts most is to think I could have not neglected to have pap smears and found my trouble earlier and something could have been done in the early stages. Believe me, all of my friends and people who know about me are neglecting to go to their doctors regularly for a checkup.
My trouble was I just took my good health for granted and now only God knows the outcome for me. All I can do is pray and wait for time to pass and pray I will be alright. But my real prayer is for all Mothers not to take their health for granted as I did. Take time for an examination each 6 months and protect yourself and your loved ones.
Signed,
Letha Ferguson
Departments
Features
Three Hillcrest Medical Center volunteers were queen for a day last week as the health system recognized the women – all whom are over age 90 and still actively volunteer at the hospital.
Opal Carlton, left, Eleanor Fitch, center, and Estelle Norvell were honored for their continued dedication to Hillcrest.
”It would be difficult for any organization such as Hillcrest to function without a loyal group of volunteers,” said Hillcrest Chaplain Ron Nofziger. “These three ladies are a real inspiration. They keep serving and giving, and are truly engaged in helping others.”
Guest Columnist
Medical care and education in Iraq is slowly but steadily improving. As a population, Iraq is medically underserved with nearly a 100,000 physician need to provide care for its citizens and only approximately 15,000 to 20,000 physicians currently working in Iraq.
Level of care, formal education and training are greatest in the larger urban areas while most of rural Iraq is without sufficient primary, emergency and specialty care or formal educational opportunities. Most of the universities, teaching programs and hospitals are currently working to
rebuild their health system infrastructure and educational capabilities.
Health & Fitness
As the health-care reform debate rages on and gains emotional steam, more and more emphasis is being put on prevention.
Finally.
This message of prevention hit home a couple of months ago as we were going through some things in my parents’ home in Missouri. There, deep in a closet, was a box containing a worn notebook. Although we were all raised in this home, the box was something neither I nor my siblings had ever seen, but were so glad for its discovery.
Contained in the tablet were the thoughts of my maternal grandmother just after being diagnosed with cancer. She titled the message “The Two Greatest Gifts: Love and Good Health.” Through her writing she admits good health was something she had always taken for granted. After all, she was rarely, if ever, sick as a child – a trend that continued well into adulthood.
Shortly after having her sixth child, however, her world would be turned upside down after the diagnosis. The message was penned over numerous pages, apparently during several months, including the time she underwent radiation to battle the cancer.
I never had the opportunity to know my grandmother as she succumbed to cancer when I was less than 2 years old. But the worn memo pad gave me a whole new perspective and appreciation into who she was.
Click below to read "The Two Greatest Gifts; Love and Good Health."
Job Profile
It’s no surprise that the health-care job market is booming. With the aging population and technology changing the way medicine is performed, new health care jobs are constantly popping up. In each issue of the Tulsa Health Care Journal we take a look at some of the jobs out there, some of which are familiar, some not so. Here we look at the respiratory therapist. Helping us gain a better perspective on this growing field is Jill Tollison, director of respiratory therapy for MeadowBrook Specialty Hospital in Tulsa.
Health Files
The Tulsa State Fair wrapped up this weekend with fewer medical incidents being reported than in the past several years.
According to Tina Wells, EMSA vice president of marketing, paramedics responded to fewer medical incidents this year than they projected.
