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Western Oregon | I was in a farm accident at 6, foot surgery, skin graft, second skin graft after teacher stepped on my foot. Got polio at 7, turned blue on the way to the iron lung, I know something happened but don't remember anything. In iron lung for 14 days. I remember being so claustrophobic when I woke up, still bad today. I had polio relapse at 37, 40 days in hospital flat on my back. I saw Jesus, talked to him, it changed how I looked at things, put my life in his hands. Dad was Irish, bad temper, I had a temper but never let it get the best of me. School was easy for me, never had a life plan. Life was hard for me on the farm. I was always a sickly kid, I am 5'3" and 126 lbs, made 5' as a senior. I have always been a loner, even in my mind after marrying. I always pushed myself. A lot because my Father said I would never amount to much. I had a Farmall B, mower, rake and baler at 11. I did the farm hay, we sold to the coop plus my own for 60 ewe lambs and 20 cross bred dairy heifers. 60 acres wheat at 13. I wanted to show I could, but not driven. I wandered the hills as a kid, day dreamed, fished, laid in the sunshine, smelled the flowers. Farming was by chance, left home at 12 to 19 acres. I wanted an off-grid life, slow and easy. I lived in a chicken coop from 11 until I knew I was getting married, so I built a cabin. It wasn't finished but we moved in after our honeymoon. Wife was a beach bum from Long Beach, California. Her brother was too, My best male friend. Life just happened for us. I retired at 55 and we traveled a couple summers after I had cataract surgery. We have a dry cabin at Wallowa Lake for hunting, it was my Grandmothers, she was a Nez Perce Indian, it was part of her inheritance. We also have a tiny shed to cottage at the beach, very, very minimal solar. Never thought about a career. I was never able to work a 40 hr job after the relapse. We live very minimal. I put together a few small street rods. '52 Chevy pickup, '28 track roadster, '76 Chevy van, 2 homebuilt RV's ''52 Curb van, '36 IHC cab over, all 4 cyl, light, minimal toys. Something to do. Wife worried about retirement, I fell right into it, keep busy, in my mind I am as busy as ever, more than I would like. I head to the shop and putter, putter in the garden. Seems health appointments take up a fair part. Brother always said I don't want much, I don't need much or have much, makes life easier for me. I think health was my limiting factor. I dream big dreams but I am a realist. I have pushed myself to the limits and suffered for it.
I knew a kid that was driving a van and rolled it over. I was there helping as it happened near my farm. We were jacking it up off another kid. The driver knew the other kid was dying. He took off towards town "home", out of his mind, it affected him the rest of his life. He was charged, he knew he did wrong by leaving the scene but he was insane, at the time. He was affected mentally and his nervous system, he walked with a limp and had trouble controlling his arms, looked like Ceberal Palsey, may have been, even though he was never injured....James | |
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Anyone ever experienced peculiar changes to the brain after nearly dying?
