First Operation

 

            Oh yeah. Did I forget to say there was more than one?

            Actually, the first two should be together. I was so young, possibly the youngest person to have this operation then. Dr. Alexander thought it would be better to put me to sleep to drill the holes in my head.

            Yes. I have two holes (Does that explain some things?), a stitched scalp, and about thirty years later will have yet another hole with electrodes! Oh my!

            Back up, Jill. It was December of 1968. I turned six a few weeks ago, but the date went by me. A lot of things went by me then.

            Okay, this is what I remember and later heard. They started cutting my hair! Now, I had a beautiful head of long, dark brown hair. Everyone said so. I didn’t know what was happening either. Totally taken by surprise, of course I fought. Nobody was going to cut my hair! After they strapped me down, they started shaving. By this time, I was a crying mess. When Dr. Alexander entered, he was angry, not at me, but at the staff! You see, they were supposed to wait until I was asleep to shave my head. I think I remember he got them out of the room and talked to me. I calmed down and then they were able to put me to sleep while Dr. Alexander drilled burr holes in my skull. Remember I was only six.

            Mom didn’t recognize me. My head was swollen and bandaged. My dad knew me though. That was the first step for me.

            The second surgery is called cryothalamotomy. It is when neurosurgeons freeze the part of the brain causing movement. (I don’t believe they perform this operation in the United States now.) I had to be awake for this one. You would think I would be scared to death, but I guess I was naïve and trusting. Because of the trauma of losing my hair, I trusted Dr. Alexander and wasn’t too afraid this time. I don’t really recall much of this, but Dr. Alexander told my frightened parents that I did as good as if I were his child. I think the first one sort of bonded us, when he sent my tormentors out of the room.

            There was a reason I had to be awake. I had to move when he asked; left leg up, left arm lifted, etc.

            You see, my left side was extensively worse than the right. And you could only operate on one side. The brain doesn’t function like we would think. By helping the left side, the surgery is on the right side. It sounds weird I know, but that is how the brain works.

            My parents did not have a choice. It was either the surgery or I would develop pneumonia and die. I was all bone and muscle. At six, even my mother could easily pick me up and carry me on her hip. Dr. Alexander assured them it had been done on children, just not one so young.

            I was at the hospital for Christmas that year. The doctors released the other children for the holiday. I was one of two kids on the whole floor. I remember they wheeled me to see this other child. I think he or she was in worse shape because we didn’t stay long.

            It snowed that Christmas Day! It was the first time I had seen snow at Christmas. I remember watching it from the bed.

            It took a while, but gradually I was able to scoot around using my left leg and left arm!

That was a miracle and a blessing!