Going back in time. Part 2 – The Anniversary
Sidney and Jeanette settled nicely in to married life and it wasn’t long before they had additions to their family. Their first born, a little girl called Leeta, and five years later a son was born. Life wasn’t easy as it was the time of ‘The Great Depression’, following the ‘Wall Street Crash’ of 1929, but they were very much in love and felt they could overcome anything. Another four years on and another baby boy arrived. Sidney had managed to find work, so although life was hard they had an income, which was more than most.
It was their wedding anniversary and Jeanette was cooking a special meal for Sidney that evening, with all the trimmings. With everything prepared, and the two youngest boys in bed, she waited, with Leeta, for Sidney to arrive home.
He was late and Jeanette began to worry. A loud banging on the door knocker broke the silence and Leeta rushed to let her father in. It wasn’t her father, but a policeman, who proceeded to tell Jeanette that there had been a accident and that Sidney was in hospital. He said she needed to get there quickly as he was not expected to make it through the night.
Sidney had been asked to work late, and was promised a lift home so he wouldn’t be late for his anniversary celebrations. Everything went according to plan, but what Sidney didn’t know was that the passenger door on the lorry was faulty. The lorry driver took a corner rather fast, the door flew open and Sidney fell out, and under the wheels. The road they were travelling along was in the process of being re-tarred and gravelled, so it made things far worse. It was an eight wheeled lorry and it dragged Sidney quite a distance.
When Jeanette arrived at the hospital, she was informed of Sidney’s horrific injuries. A fractured scull, a broken pelvis, his spine was broken in three places and his stomach was split open, causing his intestines to spill out. They, and his body, were pitted in tar and gravel. “He will not live”, they said, but live he did!
The nurses had to spend time, each day, picking the little stones out of Sidney’s body. They put him in plaster from his neck down to his thighs and he spent many, many weeks in hospital. “He will never walk again”, they said, but walk he did!
Jeanette had to juggle her life between looking after children and a baby and spending time at Sidney’s side in the hospital. It was not easy, but with the help of family, she managed to spend best part of the daytime with Sidney and the late afternoon and evenings at home with her children.
Eventually Sidney came home, still wearing the plaster, that he was to continue to wear for another six months. Jeanette had two children, a baby and now Sidney to nurse and care for. Their life had changed dramatically. Sidney would never be free of pain for very long, for the rest of his life, but they didn’t know that then. They were still very much in love, and Sidney was still alive. That was all that mattered. They had an upward battle to face, but face it they did!
Stumble it!
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Eric "Speedcat Hollydale"
| 29 March 2009 at 2:09
Scary just to think about … amazing what the human body can endure sometimes when connected to a strong heart
Eric “Speedcat Hollydale”´s last blog post..Triple Basketball neck cat in Yorkshire
Mike Golch
| 29 March 2009 at 2:40
the human spirt and the will to live just cannot be measured.
Mike Golch´s last blog post..an update and urgent prayer request.
Ana
| 29 March 2009 at 8:18
That sounds horrible! Amazing how he fought to get back into life.
Ana´s last blog post..Our Uncle has Birthday today!
Eric and Flynn
| 29 March 2009 at 10:47
What a terrible thing to happen, but it is amazing what the body can endure.
Going off on a tangent, as I read this, a face from my past sprung into my mind.
When I was a first former at High School, another first former who was an acquaintance rather than a friend had a similar accident. She fell from her father’s van as it was going around a roundabout when the door flew open. Of course there were no seat belts back then and she was killed instantly.
Reading this brought a perfect image of her name and face back into my mind. What an amazing thing the memory is as this happened about 46 years ago.
Eric and Flynn´s last blog post..Easy on Sunday
beetle
| 29 March 2009 at 12:08
Eric: You are so right. The heart is the important factor in a lot of cases
Mike: Yes, I think, whether we live or die is often down to our fighting spirit.
Ana: Yes it was, and that wasn’t the only time either!
Eric and Flynn: I am always amazed at how I can still clearly remember events that happened 50 years ago, and forget what happened last week!
Shinade
| 29 March 2009 at 14:01
Oh my I so thought it was going to be a such a tragic ending to a wonderful love story. How wonderful to know that they persevered, and their love for each other surmounted every obstacle.
Jackie:-)
Shinade´s last blog post..One Afternoon On My Porch
beetle
| 29 March 2009 at 15:10
Shinade: There’s more to come. We are only ten years into a marriage that lasted more than fifty years :O)
JD at I Do Things
| 29 March 2009 at 15:22
Another great “chapter.” I can’t wait until “Baby Babs” makes her appearance.
Shinade
| 29 March 2009 at 15:24
Oh my then I am really excited!! you write the very best stories. You really should think about your very own book.:-)
Shinade´s last blog post..One Afternoon On My Porch
Kathy
| 29 March 2009 at 17:07
What a horrific accident.It makes me feel lame for the little complaints I have compared to that. Awaiting more!
Kathy´s last blog post..Yes, I Completely Ignored You
Sandie
| 29 March 2009 at 18:24
Dad was indeed, a very brave man:0)
Sandie´s last blog post..Absence
beetle
| 29 March 2009 at 19:58
JD: The next part I (and my sisters) will make an entrance.
Shinade: I am
Kathy: Yes, it was awful, but we all complain about trivial things, and seem to be very brave at the more serious stuff. It’s human nature I think.
Sandie: Yes. I don’t think I ever knew anybody braver than dad!
Ruthie
| 29 March 2009 at 20:20
Wow – that’s an incredible story!
june
| 29 March 2009 at 22:27
The story gets better and better..but what a tragedy for Sydney. They both must have had a really rough time then.
Thanks for sharing it.
june´s last blog post..Lights Out!!
Julie McClelland
| 30 March 2009 at 1:07
Looking forward to the next part.
Julie
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Musing
| 30 March 2009 at 10:28
What a moving story! I admire their courage in the face of such a difficulty.
Can’t wait for the next chapter!
Musing´s last blog post..What turns you on?
Ruth
| 30 March 2009 at 11:34
Wow!
Our bodies are so fragile. And I am very sad that he had to live with pain from then on, even though I rejoice that he lived!
beetle
| 30 March 2009 at 13:08
Ruthie: They did have an eventful life!
June: It was, no doubt, an awful time for them both.
Julie McClelland: Thank you. I’ll write it soon.
Musing: Yes, it must have been hard (only just in their thirties) to handle it all.
Ruth: It was very sad, to watch him suffer so often, as we grew up.
Ivanhoe
| 30 March 2009 at 14:45
Oh boy! What a twist! Why does something bad always happen when your life is too good to be true? I hope they’ll get through it all
)
Ivanhoe´s last blog post..Bay Pointe Inn on Gun Lake
beetle
| 30 March 2009 at 14:50
Ivanhoe: That’s life for you eh? Just like your hubby, before you married.
Comedy Plus
| 30 March 2009 at 14:59
Oh what a delightful story of true love. I was hoping that he would survive. This is indeed a very wonderful story. Awaiting part three.
Have a terrific day Babs.
Comedy Plus´s last blog post..Awww…Mondays #11
meleah rebeccah
| 30 March 2009 at 22:09
Oh My Goodness. I am beside myself after reading this. How Sidney manged to survive that accident is AMAZING
meleah rebeccah´s last blog post..My Week In Review
beetle
| 31 March 2009 at 1:01
Sandee: Glad you’re enjoying it. Part three coming soon.
Meleah: He was an amazingly determined man, and he had a lot to live for
Jay
| 1 April 2009 at 20:12
Oh, my goodness! What a horrible accident! In a way it’s a good thing we don’t have foreknowledge of how things like this will affect us, though it seems Sidney had an indomitable spirit, so maybe he’d have been alright anyway.
beetle
| 1 April 2009 at 22:18
Jay: Yes he did, and that wasn’t the only time that spirit came out fighting!
Swubird
| 1 April 2009 at 22:22
Babs:
Very, very touching, and very well told. I thought you were gong to say that he made a complete recovery.
Happy trails.
Swubird´s last blog post..THE OLDER WOMAN
Vampy Vic
| 2 April 2009 at 22:10
wow! How much he loved her and his family to have held on through that.
beetle
| 2 April 2009 at 23:18
Swubird: I would sy that it was still quite a recovery
Vampy Vic: Yes, he did. He had too much to live for.