In 1954 Mom developed severe rheumatoid arthritis, which I think was mainly in her knees. She was confined to bed for a period of several months. She told me not too many years ago that she first realized it was happening when she tried to get out of bed and couldn’t walk. She had to crawl on the floor to get anywhere.
I know it was in 1954 that she came down with it because Lois was a baby. I remember that she went to doctors, who couldn’t help her. Arthritis was a great unknown in those days. While Mom was sick, she and Dad hired a young African-American named Caroline to help take care of us. Caroline was only 17, but she seemed grown to me at 10. She cooked and cleaned for us and took care of Lois. The cooking was a big deal since in those days of stay-at-home Moms, our school made anyone who lived within 6 blocks of the school go home for lunch. Caroline was very affectionate with Lois and I have very fond memories of her and all she did for us.
Mom was always very positive during this time, which must have been hard. I remember that while she was in bed she was engaged in entering contests, which were popular in the newspapers in those days. I think they asked for submissions for advertising slogans and jingles, or something like that. I don’t know that she ever won anything but she never gave up.
The episiode lasted for months. The arthritis finally went into remission some time in the winter of 1954-55, Mom said that she recovered when she became pregnant with Chris. Even so, its effects remained. In her latter years she suffered badly from deteriorated knees.She took Naprosyn until the side effects made it impossible to continue. Then she just coped. If asked she would tell me about her pain but she never complained. I do know that when she moved to Leisure World in 2000, she was glad to be away from the stairs in their house on Tamarack Lane.
I do not remember a single time during those days when she was bitter, depressed or anything else. She must have had those times but she kept them to herself. She made me feel as though everything was going to be all right. In the end it was.
Here is a picture of Mom in her bedroom with Larry and Ruth, on what I think must have been Larry’s First Communion Day. She was beautifully made up, as I remember her still during those months.
I know that Larry and Ruth must remember some of those times and I hope they will contribute their memories as well.