Children's Clinic Records/Josh Blue

Way back when my folks brought me to The Children's Crippled Clinic in our hometown. This was in the late 1960's and 1970s when there weren't many resources for special needs children.

The doctor, would fly from New Orleans every so many weeks to see 100's of us kids. He was a wonderful compassionate dedicated doctor. I was his pet and he called me Sunshine. He walked with a limp, like most of us who went to see him because he had Polio as a youngster.

When I needed surgery, we had to travel to New Orleans since he lived there and spend weeks at a time at the hospital there. I had five surgeries between 1968 through 1971. After my surgeries, came braces, casts, rehab, corrective shoes and then follow-up visits every six months until I reached 18. At 18, I was no longer a child so and there was nothing more to do for me except an elective surgery. My parents gave me that decision because it was the riskiest one. It could either make me walk much better, almost normal OR put me in a wheelchair. It was a 50/50 chance.

I thought hard on that for a month. I know I didn't want to be in a wheelchair. When I had to be in one after surgeries I hated it. It was too confining for me. 

But the thought of being able to walk like everyone else was so tempting. I wouldn't get anymore stares, or being judged just by the way I walked. It would be totally awesome. However, in the end,  the risk was just too high for me to risk it and I declined. I lived for 18 years and my life really wasn't so bad. I did most of whatever I wanted to do anyway. The things I couldn't do, but maybe could do WITH the surgery was not that important. After the decision, I never had second thoughts my decision.

Fast forward to weekend before last. My mom called. She was reading the paper and  saw a notice that if you were a patient at Iberia Cripple Children's Clinic between certain dates and wanted your records to call a  number provided before June 10th before picking them up. My mom knows I love to have my medical records. So Monday I called and left a message on the  machine. No one called me back. Wednesday, I was becoming anxious. My mom dropped by the Clinic since she was in town and the lady she spoke to said,  the lady who was dealing with the medical records does go in every day but to leave the message and she will surely get back with me. So I left another message.

Thursday, "Fern" finally returns my call. She apologized and said she had emergency retinal surgery and wasn't sure when she was getting back to the clinic but she would call me as soon as she did.

So yesterday, after I got back from my long day, she called. She asked for my birthday and name. She said she would look for it and call me back. Five minutes later, she asked if I had lived in Jeanerette. (Here we go with my Double again). I said, "No, I did not live in Jeanerette. I lived on Avery Island." She said she would continue looking and instead of me going get them she would just mail them. I graciously thanked her. She called me back 5 minutes later and asked me my father's name. I told her and she said she found them and she was going to put them in the mail.

So my appreciated  followers may be asking yourselves, 'what's the big deal?" I love this stuff! It's why I went to school and became a nurse, until doc and I realized I made a terrible career choice and put me on disability several years later. I'm still trying to accept that. Anyway, I am assuming there will be surgical reports etc. I can actually read all the notes etc. I will be running to the post office every day starting tomorrow to see if they arrived. I am totally psyched!

Another note concerning Cerebral palsy. My daughter's girlfriend Krystal has seen me and My BabyGirl laugh at some of the stuff I do because of CP. We've told her stories about our life. Hey, its good to laugh at yourself!  On my FB wall Krystal posted aYoutube video of a comedian, Josh Blue. I'm addicted. He makes jokes about his CP and all of us with CP can surely relate. I am thinking of buying one of his CD's! Check him out!

Thanks for dropping by and taking the time out of your busy schedule and read my blog! I appreciate each and every one of you!