52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Illness & Injury

Week 11: Illness and Injury. Describe your childhood illnesses or injuries. Who took care of you? Did you recuperate in your own bed, on the couch in front of the television, or somewhere else?

First of all, let me say that I have always had an aversion to taking pills. To this day, there are some that I still gag when trying to swallow them. I can remember one time vividly; I must have been about 10 or 11 maybe, and I had a fever. Daddy would give me an aspirin to take and I would assume the usual position of standing over the sink while taking it due to the aforementioned gagging. But this particular time, I was (cleverly, I thought) throwing the aspirin down the drain and just pretending to take them. Daddy finally figured it out when my fever wouldn't come down. I no longer felt clever.

I was fortunate that I have never had any broken bones. The biggest injuries I can remember was falling off my bike and skinning a knee or elbow. I was never very adventurous.

The biggest illness of my childhood would be the chicken pox. I was 10 years old and in the 5th grade. My father did not believe that I had them when Mom suggested that diagnosis... he changed his mind when I broke out in red bumps all over. I was one of those kids who broke out from head to toe and everywhere in between. I still have a couple of chicken pox scars. I missed school for a week.

I'm not sure if it classifies as an "illness," but it was discovered I was near-sighted and I got my first pair of glasses when I was 11. Again, Daddy didn't believe there was anything wrong with my eyes... until we were sitting in traffic in Augusta one day, and I asked him what the street sign said. He actually turned around in the seat, looked at me incredulously and asked, "You can't see that?!" The next week I was at the eye doctor's office.

Age 12, 7th grade

When I was in high school, I somehow got a piece of metal in my eye. We have no idea how. Daddy had to come get me from school and take me to Dublin to an ophthalmologist. Luckily, they were able to wash it out... I was terrified when the doctor told me they would have to operate if the wash didn't work! I dodged the bullet on that one.

When I was sick, I think both of my parents took care of me. Mom worked, so Dad was there during the day, and he was the one who would pick me up from school if I got sick.

I always recuperated on the couch in front of the TV. And actually, Daddy said that he could always tell when I was sick, because I would just lay listlessly on the couch and be very quiet. That was VERY unlike me! Even now, I lie on the couch or in my recliner in front of the TV when I'm sick. I have to be very close to death to stay in my bed.

It appears I take after my mother with my healthiness. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2011) that invite genealogists and others to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. If you do not have a genealogy blog, write down your memories on your computer, or simply record them on paper and keep them with your files.