Christmas at Shriners Hospital
Growing up with Spina Bifida, I spent a lot of time in the hospital. Yes, I do have Christmas memories that don’t involve being in the hospital. Since this blog is about my life with Spina Bifida, I thought it appropriate to reflect on some of the times I spent Christmas in the hospital. I don’t remember exact dates and I am sure some of these memories are from different times but time tends to run together when you are locked away in a building for months on end.
Like I said I have no idea what year these memories happened but they are all good memories. I was in the Shriners Hospital in Springfield Massachusetts. I think I was in for my first set of walking braces which involved surgery on my legs to release the tension in my hamstrings, heel cords, and hips. This would allow my legs to lay flat. Once healed I would be able to wear the reciprocator braces and start learning to walk. At the time they told me I learned the fastest of anyone before me and wanted to use me as an example for other people. They recorded the learning process on videotape. I wish I had that tape but I am not sure whatever came of it.
Week of Christmas
So back to Christmas. Christmas at Shriners is not just a one-day event. It lasts at least a week with events every day. Various organizations donate their time and gifts to visit the kids and bring some joy to what is usually not a joyful process of healing. Stuart Isham, who I will never forget, was a janitor at the hospital but he also played an instrument in a marching band. The band put on a huge performance in the parking lot. I remember their green white and black uniforms with the tall hats and a long sort of feather coming out of the top. They had shined up all of their instruments so you could see the reflection of their uniform as they marched. I remember thinking how they were timed so perfectly and sounded amazing.
I also have memories of kids that were in the hospital with me. In fact, most of my memories are of other kids and what they had gone through. A lot of kids at Shriners come from other countries where health care is not what it is in the U.S. They don’t have the expertise to take care of some of the things that these kids are dealing with.
Paniotus
One such kid was Paniotus Paleontotus. I am sure that is spelled wrong but at any rate, he was from Cyprus, Greece. He was about 10 years old or so and a bundle of energy. I can’t remember exactly why he was there but he had a full upper body cast that immobilized one of his arms but to the detriment of the nurses left this other arm free haha. You see Paniotus had a penchant for climbing things and there were a number of metal cribs that resembled cages. The youngest of the kids would sleep in these cribs that literally was like a giant cage with bars that slid up to lock. So Paniotus figured out that if he grabbed on with this good hand he could get his feet in the bars and climb on top haha. He would stand on top and shake the cribs back and forth while yelling like Tarzan. It was quite a sight to see the nurses begging him to come down while he would laugh his head off haha.
Bambos
Bambos is another kid from Cyprus who was an unforgettable character. He had been at the hospital for at least 2 years with no family to visit. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t afford the trip. He had made the place his own and was sort of the Godfather on the ward. Everyone knew him and he ran it. There was a small playroom off the end of the kids’ side. In the playroom was a foosball table. Bambos had become quite proficient at the game of the past couple years and he knew it. He would challenge anyone who dared take him on. The game would get very animated to the point the table would get lifted off the floor and slid around every time he spun his players. as he got more animated so did his language haha. He knew a lot of English swear words. As he was getting close to beating his opponent he would start to taunt them declaring in his most loud and boisterous manner “Me Champion!”
At the time I was in the hospital with Bambos, I was in a full cast of my lower body and had to be turned periodically from front to back or back to front. We had a visit from Santa and I had gotten presents from my family as well. I had all my stuff laying on the bed underneath me as I was suspended above the mattress. As I was laying on my stomach one of the greek kids nonchalantly mosied up to my bed and proceeded to make away with some of my toys. He did it with my parents sitting right there and me clearly looking down on him as he did it haha. Having experienced being in Shriners many times before I realized that most of the kids there did not have the opportunities or financial well being that I was accustomed. I just let the kid take what he wanted because he needed it more than I did.
Ewa AKA Eva
Ewa pronounced Eva was from Poland. She was a 12-year-old girl who to this day is the smartest human I have ever met. You see Shriners hospital had a teacher on staff and all the kids are required if possible to keep up with their studies. I have a story about my skillfully ditching my studies for later haha. Ewa, on the other hand, loved to learn. So much so in fact that she had already completed all the math books that they had to offer in class. The teacher said she had out learned him already. She also was an extremely talented artist. She could look at a picture and freehand draw an exact copy. I can picture in my mind a horse she drew once that looked so real you could almost touch it.
My father later found out she lived in one room house with dirt floors and no running water with her family. I don’t remember how many members she had in her family but for some reason, I think it was a lot. So this was a different Christmas at Shriners but the usual week-long celebration was well on its way. I am pretty sure it was Santas third visit for the week haha. He was handing out gifts to all the kids and he got to Ewa. He proceeded to hand her what I think was a doll and she took it and then handed it back and proclaimed “Too Much!”. Unlike in America where we expect gifts on Christmas she was not used to receiving such a huge amount of toys. She had decided it was just too much. Eventually, the staff convinced her it was ok to take the gift but I don’t think she actually cared about the stuff she was being given. It wasn’t necessary for her,
Maria
Last but not least is little Maria Maria was deaf and was bow-legged. She was at the hospital to have her legs fixed and it took many months and numerous surgeries to get her legs straight. She was also from Cyrpus She was 3 at the time and hadn’t had any visitors in quite some time. Her dad was stricken with heart problems and couldn’t fly to visit very often. He was actually waiting for a transplant. He looked similar to my father and Maria adopted my dad as her very own. So much so that if I went near him she got very angry. She once scratched my knees with her fingernails because I got to close and would growl at me like a wildcat haha. Papa was my dads’ name after that or at least when she was around. She also had an uncanny ability to know when I was near him without even looking. Her back could be completely turned and she would spin around and push me away haha. Of course, when I found this out it became a bit of a game.
Ditching School
OK back to the ditching of school. The nurse would come in the morning to help me get ready and get me in my wheelchair. She always made the mistake of not actually walking me to class. I would say I will make it on my own and she would see me off. I would then wait until I knew they were busy double back and shut the curtain to my room. As long as I was quiet they had no reason to come check on me all day haha. I managed to pull off this charade for almost 6 weeks until the nurse finally came back into my room one day. From then on I had my own personal escort to class haha. Oh well, it was a good run.
Sparking a Love for Aviation
My last memory for this Christmas is the time Santa came in a helicopter. If you have been reading my blog all along you know I have a partiality toward aviation. I think this started long before this day but this definitely sealed the deal. After Santa arrived and the kids had all surrounded him in the lobby of the hospital I kept staring out the window to the helicopter. It was a Hughes 500 D. I will never forget it blue and white and shiny. While staring, I noticed there was these bubble like things on the windows. I couldn’t help but wonder why they were there. I decided I better talk to the pilot to find out. He told me they were just ventilation for when it got hot as there is no air conditioning. In the course of talking, he offered to take me for a ride when I got out. I was definitely not turning down that offer. It was unfortunately too windy on the day I got out but he said anytime I come back just give him a call and we could make it happen. It worked out that I had to come back for a follow-up appointment and the weather was immaculate that day. I got my ride after all and it was unbelievable. We buzzed along the Connecticut River in the winter checking out the geese on the ice. We buzzed over a ski resort and made people dive for cover haha. It was the first time I noticed how perfect the world looks from above and I wanted to see that as much as I could from then on. It took me 28 years to get there but I finally took flying lessons.
Closing Thoughts
I think I have wandered off into memories not related to Christmas but that’s ok. I think these kids stories should be told at Christmas. When we are all caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to find the perfect gifts sometimes we need to stop and think about the Ewas, Bambos, Marias and Paniotus of the world. Some of my fondest memories of Christmas are actually while I was in the hospital and it wasn’t necessarily about what I was getting but seeing other kids light up when they got something they never imagined possible.
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