In the summer of 1973 we once again moved, this time to the Wash. D.C. area. Lee's assignment to Walter Reed Army Hospital was considered a plum job. It was considered a gateway to bigger and better assignments and faster promotions. In retrospect, it was also a panacea for a teenage boy who had never been exposed to drugs before. Never before had Lee been assigned to a post near such a large city with so much temptation available.
On our way to our assignment we decided to stop in Oxen Hill, Maryland to meet one of Lee's cousins. Lee had not seen her in many years and I had never met her. Her husband was also a military man assigned to the Pentagon in DC. Lee's cousin had twin boys who were 17 and a daughter the same age as our son. We parked our trailer in their yard and actually stayed put for at least 2 wks. At that time we found a camping space near to the house that we had purchased. It was a lovely experience with Lee's family. They were gracious hosts, and we were so very grateful to have been able to park our trailer there for so long. Plus the added bonus of getting to know another family member.
Buying our first house was a real eye opener for us, and the DC area was known to have much higher prices than other areas. We looked at several houses, some were just plain out of our price range. Remember now, this was 1973 and Lee's salary as a Captain was $14,000 per year, and I did not work away from the house. The house we put a contract on was $41,000.00. We all loved the house. It had a kitchen, living room, 3 bedrooms, and a full bathroom upstairs. It was a split level and downstairs it had a family room, 2 bedrooms, a laundry room, and another full bathroom. Finally, after what seemed an eternity we received the call that the couple had accepted our contract and our loan was approved. We were all elated. Then the day that we went to closing and signed what seemed like reams and reams of papers the reality set in. That night when Lee and I were talking I cried. "How are we ever going to make those payments every month, $398!" Wow!! in retrospect that payment was nothing compared to the house payments we have had since.
The weekend before we moved into the house we had gone camping at a place in southern Maryland called "Solomon's Island." It was run by the US Navy and a great place to spend the weekends. One weekend we caught 500 blue crabs. It was great fun and the kids loved it as well as Lee and I. This particular weekend there happened to be several guys who were also stationed at Walter Reed and their families. It was a fun weekend and the kids were of similar ages and got along well with each other. There was all kinds of play equipment, some which was kind of rough and tumble for our youngest daughter who was 4 years old at the time. After we arrived home from the weekend, I was giving our youngest a bath when I noticed several large bruises on different parts of her body. I thought boy! they must have really been bouncing her around for her to be so bruised.As the days went on, more and more bruising appeared on her body. She seemed to bruise on areas that were stressed with normal everyday living, such as her cheek bones and shoulder blades. Once again I called on my "merck manual" for some assistance. An ominous feeling came over me as I paged through the manual. Since we were new to the area I called The Walter Reed Clinic for some guidance. They gave me an appointment for a month away. I said "my daughter is very sick and she cannot wait a month to be seen.
Lee was working 3-11 evening shift at the time. When he came home I told him what I thought was happening to our daughter and that she had to be seen as quickly as possible. From my reading I deduced that she had leukemia or some serious form of anemia. Lee was never one to ask favors of the doctors, he felt that we should wait our turn like everyone else. So, of course we disagreed about the situation and the discussion became quite heated. I honestly was afraid. Our daughter did not have any other symptoms except maybe lethargy and she was sleeping more than normal for her also. The discussion ended when I told Lee emphatically "You better talk to someone today and get her in the clinic to be seen. If not I will bring her in myself and I will raise hell until she is seen!" Lee literally grabbed a Pediatric resident and explained our daughter's condition. Almost immediately Lee called me, they wanted to examine her as soon as possible. The Colonel who was in charge of the Hematology Clinic saw us right away. He said to us, "Your daughter looks like a classic Leukemia patient." This was my worst fear from what I had been reading. Tears started streaming down my face, and I was terrified at the possibilities ahead. The doctor was very good to our daughter and to us. He invited us to stay right in his office while he made all of the slides himself. Walter Reed is a hospital of serious diagnosis, we were so fortunate and grateful to be there. The clinic in Kansas was not equipped for serious cases. Before the physician started to draw blood and start her evaluation he explained everything to us. There were three possible diagnosis, Leukemia, aplastic anemia or Idiopathic Thrombocytocpenic Purpura. This last diagnosis was the least serious and the reason why she had petechia and purple patches all over her body. The doctor informed us that our four year old daughter needed to have a bone marrow test immediately. Lee went along with our baby and stayed with her during the procedure. It has been well over 30 years now since this all took place and I can still hear our little girl screaming. While she was screaming, I sat there crying and praying that the good Lord would protect her from all harm. We waited and waited for the diagnosis to be made. The doctors were working as fast as they possibly could. It was now early evening, and the wait was almost over.
A situation like this, especially a child or someone very close to us really brings us to our knees quickly. Life is fragile and in an instant it can be snatched away from us. So enjoy your family and friends and savor all of the precious moments and memories.
Carol
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