Priscilla Wall's Weblog tag:www.priscillawall.com,2010://1 2008-12-27T00:37:29Z Movable Type 3.2 Christmas 2008 tag:www.priscillawall.com,2008://1.66 2008-12-27T00:01:26Z 2008-12-27T00:37:29Z Another year, another Christmas. It hardly seems possible that mom has been gone a year already. We turned her room into a library with a love seat sofa bed. Anna Beth and Noelle sleep there when they are here and... Priscilla Wall Another year, another Christmas. It hardly seems possible that mom has been gone a year already. We turned her room into a library with a love seat sofa bed. Anna Beth and Noelle sleep there when they are here and consider it special because it's still Grandma Anna's room to them. I miss her a lot, and they do too.

So many changes, it's hard to put them all down. The biggest change is that I am actually working outside the home and getting paid for it! I have done volunteer/ministry work for so long, it is actually refreshing and nice to get a pay check. I am teaching K-1st grade at a local Christian School, and loving it. Granted, my paycheck isn't big, but hey that's ok. I love my kids and the challenges, and it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I use my scooter, without it there is no way I could do what I do. I use a whistle, to call my kids, and they come running and line up behind me like a choo choo train. It is quite a sight. I have 6 boys and two girls, one boy is ADHD, one was undisciplined, and one acts out to get the attention of the others, and one girl had a serious 'attitude' . They have all matured so much, it is had to believe they are the same kids.

Related to the first change, I had my first parent/teacher conference, and my first Christmas production, ,(even if it was only 5 minutes long). I do love them all and enjoy seeing them get excited about reading. Need to go.

Christmas blessings to each of you

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]]> Baby Grace and Baby Jacob tag:www.priscillawall.com,2008://1.65 2008-02-11T02:27:30Z 2008-02-11T02:29:32Z Today I went to a grave-side service. Under the tent, a table stood holding a tiny casket holding two tiny babies, a boy and a girl. It was wickedly cold out. People tried to stay warm with long coats and... Priscilla Wall Today I went to a grave-side service. Under the tent, a table stood holding a tiny casket holding two tiny babies, a boy and a girl. It was wickedly cold out. People tried to stay warm with long coats and lap blankets. You could see your breath escaping as you waited for the minister to offer inadequate words for such a heartbreaking occasion. The mother covered in blankets even up to her face where only her eyes were showing, eyes with tears streaming down her face. The father sitting next to her, pain and sorrow showed on his face. Grandparents were surrounding them in an effort to hold them up, yet needing to be held up them selves. Baby Grace and baby Jacob, how can we bear to let them go, I don’t know. But to let them go we must. We know they are safe in the arms of Jesus, but oh how the mother’s arms must ache to hold them yet again. Not enough time to kiss them and say goodbye. I’m not the mother, or the grandmother, yet I feel this loss as if I had a physical connection. I’m thinking back to a special day. I see her sitting beside me being “cubed” as she called it. I am sharing the gospel with her. At first, it was just a pretend presentation to get pictures of a “typical” day at the center. Then, we noticed, the gospel message was touching her heart. Suddenly the pictures were not important any more. As our director silently slipped out to the other room to ask others to pray, She bowed her head and asked Jesus to come into her heart. She instantly became my spiritual daughter, and sister in Christ. We are connected by God’s Spirit. Maybe this is why my heart breaks for her and her husband today.

]]> Just a regular update tag:www.priscillawall.com,2008://1.64 2008-01-18T23:00:15Z 2008-01-18T23:30:49Z Just a little update on what I have been up to. I took a little while off from the center and the church library. What with mom and the holidays I had a lot of things to take of. I... Priscilla Wall Just a little update on what I have been up to. I took a little while off from the center and the church library. What with mom and the holidays I had a lot of things to take of.

I started by calling her oxygen people to cancel the service. It didn't take them long to come and get her oxygen tanks, concentrator, and C-pap. Then I cleaned out all of mom medicines and tubing left over from her oxygen concentrator. I had no idea how many she had. Every time they came to check it, they left tubing. Since she hadn't used her oxygen much in the last year it was hidden everywhere. I mean like 2 garbage bags full! Then I went through the drawer where she kept her bills and cards. It was good for me. It was a time of remembering. As I go through things, I am going to set aside things that can be used as keepsakes. I already have some things set aside.

We called General Motors, Her insurance policies, and got death certificates. Today I paid what was left of her funeral expenses with her insurance policies paid benefits. We paid for having the date put on the headstone before we left the funeral home, so all of that is done. Since GM had deposited her January pension I wrote a check today to pay them back. Fortunately Social Security didn't direct deposit her January, so I don't have to send anything back for that.

We are turning her room into a library. We are bringing our books down from the attic. I have given away some purses and hats to some of the ladies in her Sunday School class. We haven't brought everything down from the attic yet.

]]> Buttons tag:www.priscillawall.com,2008://1.63 2008-01-18T22:43:09Z 2008-01-18T22:59:24Z A little break from the hospital, My brother's blog has his memories of buttons. http://schoolGuy@blogspot.com He once had a family, but that was long gone for him. He was a gentle man, loved the children at the day care. He... Priscilla Wall A little break from the hospital, My brother's blog has his memories of buttons. http://schoolGuy@blogspot.com He once had a family, but that was long gone for him. He was a gentle man, loved the children at the day care. He got saved the summer I worked downtown Detroit. I worked at the Cass Park day care, while living in Priscilla Hall, which housed Southern Baptist State Association offices on the main floor and residents on the three upper floors. Buttons was old enough for social security and had a little room where he stayed. He would spend his money on buttons and little moving toys that he knew the children would love to see. He came by often to see the children. After he got saved, he came to church at the Baptist Center where the day care was. I can still close my eyes and see him all covered with his buttons, his smile and delight when he came to share his toys with the children. Buttons, I look forward to seeing you in heaven one day. I wonder if you might be sharing some of this story with my mom and dad?

There are many memories of Priscilla Hall Days, but I will save them for another day

]]> Childhood Memories # 7 Herman Keefer Hospital (part six) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2008://1.62 2008-01-18T22:36:00Z 2008-01-18T22:40:13Z I remember the day when my back brace came in. I was in the eating room. They came in and made a big announcement that my “corset” was in and I needed to go try it on. I was so... Priscilla Wall I remember the day when my back brace came in. I was in the eating room. They came in and made a big announcement that my “corset” was in and I needed to go try it on. I was so embarrassed. Oh, well. I was easily embarrassed. My grandfather on my mother’s side gave me the nickname “poopy-Jane” (I have since learned, I wasn’t the only one he called that.) Anyway, I revealed my secret to Kathy, the other white girl. Big mistake. It became a big deal, On my window, they wrote guess her nick name. People kept coming by my room for days it seemed, guessing or trying to guess. Of course I wouldn’t tell, but eventually, Kathy did. I was sooooo embarrassed. )Moral: be careful who you trust a secret with.)
I remember one day in physical therapy Mrs. Breck was working on a baby. They only way to get the baby to exercise his limbs was to make him mad so he would try to move his arms and legs. It sounded so cruel, but necessary.

I remember when mom and dad brought my siblings and a few friends to see me.(I don’t remember who exactly) They couldn’t come up to see me so I waved to them from a window looking down.

]]> Grand Anna tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.61 2007-12-02T12:45:12Z 2007-12-02T12:51:37Z Mother's condition is worse. The doctors both concur that she is at the point which if the medicine they had her on to help decrease the spinal fluid accumulating on her brain was going to work, we would see indicators.... Priscilla Wall Mother's condition is worse. The doctors both concur that she is at the point which if the medicine they had her on to help decrease the spinal fluid accumulating on her brain was going to work, we would see indicators. We have all agreed to discontinue it and just do all to keep her as comfortable as possible. They have started morphine. It is just a matter of time now. One of her doctor's prayed with us and it was a blessing knowing he is a believer and was willing to minister to us in that special way. Both her doctor's and all of the nurses taking care of her have just been wonderful and patient with us as we asked questions.

]]> Childhood Memories # 7 Herman Keefer Hospital (part five) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.60 2007-12-01T22:15:23Z 2007-12-01T22:41:55Z While at the hospital with mom, I wrote another installment of my childhood memories. It helped to pass the night away when sleep wouldn't come. Enjoy. My days were full while I was there. It wasn’t a bad time as... Priscilla Wall While at the hospital with mom, I wrote another installment of my childhood memories. It helped to pass the night away when sleep wouldn't come. Enjoy.
My days were full while I was there. It wasn’t a bad time as some would think. I really have only good memories of my stay there. I had a roommate named Denise. She was black and we were instant friends. Our parents would take turns coming to visit us and bring us food (junk food), because they wanted us to gain weight. (those were the good ole’ days!) I remember how frustrated they were with Denise because she kept getting taller instead of fatter. I loved the braids in her hair. One day, a black nurse came in to find me very frustrated because I was trying to put little braids in my hair and they kept falling out. She laughed and said something to the effect, “Child don’t you know your hair won’t hold those braids!” The next day she came bearing a handful of cotton rags. She rolled my hair on those rags so I could have curly hair. I loved it. I loved the black people who worked there. They were so happy and loving. As far as I can remember there were only two white staff, one head nurse named Sally (she had a long blond pony tail and was a bit chuncky) and one physical therapist named Ms. Breck (who was tall, thin with short curly hair). Then there were only two white patients, me and another teenager named Kathy. It would be so wonderful to know where these people are today and how they are doing.

My days were filled with “hot packs” and “exercises”. Every day several times a day they would push a cart with steaming wool pieces of cloth. They would wrap them on my arms, shoulders, legs, and put plastic over the top to hold in the heat. Since I was such a good patient, I was the guinea pig while interns stood and watched. Sometimes, I felt like screaming because it was so hot, but I didn’t. and they kept bringing all these students to watch day after day. Physical therapy was an everyday affair. It was exhausting work, but they tried to make it fun, by letting us compete with each other. We would race to see who could put on and take off their braces the fastest. We not only had the exercises on the tables, but we had to learn to walk, and fall. We had to conquer the stairs up and down, long hallways, falling without harming ourselves and getting up after you fell. We couldn’t go home until we were proficient.

In our rooms we would race to see who could throw out an ace bandage and roll it back up the fastest. There were wheel chair races, which I mostly watched from the sidelines.

]]> Childhood Memories # 7 Herman Keefer Hospital (part four) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.58 2007-11-22T21:22:46Z 2007-11-22T21:25:19Z I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving! My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember... Priscilla Wall I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember being right next to a big picture window looking out at the hallway. The first test they did was a spinal tap. It wasn’t bad, just a few pin pricks. And the results were conclusive, Polio! It was spreading. It looked as though by morning, I would be in an “Iron Lung”. (A big tube that you fit inside, except for your head.) A pump would put pressure on the lungs and ‘breath’ for you. That is what the Doctors told my parents. Expect to see me in an iron lung when they returned the next morning. But God had other plans. My mother tells me, “When Dad and I got home, we knelt and prayed, giving you to the Lord. We told Him, ‘No matter what happens to her, we will serve You’.” Mother said, she had peace for the first time since I had gotten sick. She had a good nights rest. When they returned the next morning, they were greeted by the doctors. My fever had broken. The polio stopped spreading, no iron lung. My Dad and Mom asked what time the fever broke, it was the exact time they had knelt in prayer committing me to the Lord. I spent the next three/four months in the hospital.

]]> Childhood Memories # 7 Herman Keefer Hospital (part four) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.59 2007-11-22T21:22:46Z 2007-11-22T21:30:42Z I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving! My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember... Priscilla Wall I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember being right next to a big picture window looking out at the hallway. The first test they did was a spinal tap. It wasn’t bad, just a few pin pricks. And the results were conclusive, Polio! It was spreading. It looked as though by morning, I would be in an “Iron Lung”. (A big tube that you fit inside, except for your head.) A pump would put pressure on the lungs and ‘breath’ for you. That is what the Doctors told my parents. Expect to see me in an iron lung when they returned the next morning. But God had other plans. My mother tells me, “When Dad and I got home, we knelt and prayed, giving you to the Lord. We told Him, ‘No matter what happens to her, we will serve You’.” Mother said, she had peace for the first time since I had gotten sick. She had a good nights rest. When they returned the next morning, they were greeted by the doctors. My fever had broken. The polio stopped spreading, no iron lung. My Dad and Mom asked what time the fever broke, it was the exact time they had knelt in prayer committing me to the Lord. I spent the next three/four months in the hospital.

]]> Childhood Memories # 7 Herman Keefer Hospital (part four) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.57 2007-09-10T10:54:22Z 2007-09-10T10:55:12Z My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember being right next to a big picture window... Priscilla Wall My first room seemed crowded to me, but I didn’t mind because there was a baby close by that I could watch. For me what could be better than that! I remember being right next to a big picture window looking out at the hallway. The first test they did was a spinal tap. It wasn’t bad, just a few pin pricks. And the results were conclusive, Polio! It was spreading. It looked as though by morning, I would be in an “Iron Lung”. (A big tube that you fit inside, except for your head.) A pump would put pressure on the lungs and ‘breath’ for you. That is what the Doctors told my parents. Expect to see me in an iron lung when they returned the next morning. But God had other plans. My mother tells me, “When Dad and I got home, we knelt and prayed, giving you to the Lord. We told Him, ‘No matter what happens to her, we will serve You’.” Mother said, she had peace for the first time since I had gotten sick. She had a good nights rest. When they returned the next morning, they were greeted by the doctors. My fever had broken. The polio stopped spreading, no iron lung. My Dad and Mom asked what time the fever broke, it was the exact time they had knelt in prayer committing me to the Lord. I spent the next three/four months in the hospital.

]]> Childhood Memories # 6 Ambulance ride (part three) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.56 2007-09-08T20:27:15Z 2007-09-08T20:29:50Z They transported me from one hospital to another by ambulance. Mother road with me. I assume my dad drove down in their car. My ambulance ride was traumatic. It was an hour drive give or take, but it seemed so... Priscilla Wall They transported me from one hospital to another by ambulance. Mother road with me. I assume my dad drove down in their car. My ambulance ride was traumatic. It was an hour drive give or take, but it seemed so much longer. When they wanted to get through traffic, they would turn on their sirens. Not good! It made me feel like I needed to go to the bathroom. I kept telling my mom to make them turn off the sirens. Being an extremely modest child, it was totally humiliating for me. I didn’t think my ride was such an emergency that they needed the sirens. I did survive, but it was still very traumatic; it was like it sent me into a panic mode. For me, it was a very long, long, long ride. What relief when they finally arrived at Herman Keefer Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. That was going to be my “home” for several months.

]]> My Summer tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.55 2007-09-02T12:21:51Z 2007-09-02T12:41:46Z It has been a summer to remember. I had all but James for the month of June. Then In July, I had Amie, Christine, and AnnaBeth for two weeks while Noelle and James stayed with Mom and Dad up North.... Priscilla Wall It has been a summer to remember. I had all but James for the month of June. Then In July, I had Amie, Christine, and AnnaBeth for two weeks while Noelle and James stayed with Mom and Dad up North. Then for the rest of the summer Jeremy and Julie rotated the kids so they could spend time with them. Having to stay in an extended stay motel room only allowed them to take one or two at a time. Looking for a place to rent was very discouraging for them, but God is good, they pickedup the kids yesterday and were taking them back to a house! Yes, a real house. You can read all about it on Julie's blog page at: http://julie.marzhillstudios.com We will miss them, but it was time for them and for us. I am not as young as I used to be and with my own post-polio issues, I was stretched. But I would do it again.

At the same time, my mother developed an infection in one of her toes. Being a diabetic, she could have lost her toe, but thanks be to God, we think that threat is over. We are still treating it and she sees the dr. again the end of September.

We did have a wonderful time on our vacation to Michigan. All our kids and g'kids were there for the reunion on my husband's side of the family. We took our camper and set it up at Dick's sister's house where the reunion was held. It was good to rest, and enjoy family. We hired a young lady to take care of mother, which allowed me to enjoy the time away knowing she was in capable hands. The second half of the trip was spend at my sister's lake house. We didn't get to see all my siblings, nieces, and nephew's, but we did get to meet my niece's new husband and enjoyed getting to know Robin. We had dinner with my youngest sister and her daughter and husband. We always enjoy visiting with Matt and Julie.

Anyway, that was my summer

]]> Childhood Memory # 6 Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital (Part Two) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.54 2007-09-02T12:14:51Z 2007-09-02T12:19:18Z I was admitted to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital. They put me in a ward with several children. I remember being right by the door. They took a lot of blood samples, day after day. They still didn’t have a clue what... Priscilla Wall I was admitted to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital. They put me in a ward with several children. I remember being right by the door. They took a lot of blood samples, day after day. They still didn’t have a clue what was wrong. Meanwhile, I was getting weaker and weaker. They would get me out of bed and stand me up, then say “walk to me”. I couldn’t do it. They wanted an x-ray, so down I go to that department. They stand me in front of an x-ray machine and tell me to stand still. I can’t, I just slid to the floor. They were clueless. They would bring my food on a tray and sit it on the bed table. I couldn’t sit up, I couldn’t reach my arm up or hold a spoon. Then when they came to get the tray, they would fuss at me because I didn’t eat. When my mom came to be with me, she brought something and helped me eat by feeding me. Finally, they told my mom, they didn’t know what was wrong with me, but they had ruled out polio. I was on my way to another hospital.

]]> Childhood Memory # 6 Tom Thumb (Part One) tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.53 2007-04-13T23:51:06Z 2007-04-14T01:58:21Z I was 9 years old. It was the week between Christmas and New Years. Every Saturday my brothers, sisters and cousins would walk uptown to the movie theater. I would buy the same thing for a treat--JuJu bees. We watched... Priscilla Wall I was 9 years old. It was the week between Christmas and New Years. Every Saturday my brothers, sisters and cousins would walk uptown to the movie theater. I would buy the same thing for a treat--JuJu bees. We watched Tom Thumb. I had been waiting to see it. This particular Saturday though, I had a very bad headache. I gave by juju bees away. I didn’t enjoy the movie. Along with the headache, I developed a fever. Then, I got very weak. Doctors still made house calls, or at least this one did. However, I didn’t want him to come because I knew he would give me a shot on my backside. My aunt Etta promised me he wouldn’t, so I calmed down some. Only he did! I stayed mad at my aunt for a long time because she lied to me. She later made amends by buying me a big stuffed skunk. (I was a Bambi fan, and liked the skunk, Flower.) Any way, by Monday, I couldn’t even stand up. My dad and mom took me to the doctor’s office. He carried me. I remember sitting on the examination table and the doctor used the little “hammer” to test my reflexes. I didn’t have any on my left leg. From there, I went straight to the hospital.

]]> Happy Birthday, Jason tag:www.priscillawall.com,2007://1.51 2007-03-24T10:16:30Z 2007-03-24T11:27:12Z Happy Birthday, son. I am looking forward to spending a few days with you. Dad and I love you!... Priscilla Wall Happy Birthday, son. I am looking forward to spending a few days with you. Dad and I love you!

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