MarxLennon's Gratuitous Image Page

As I was saying, mom went to get her degree in nursing. When she was in her last year, she volunteered part time at a low income clinic. It was one of those deals where student nurses went in to get practical experience, and doctors volunteered their time. While working there she primarily dealt with young, single mothers and their children. It was then she decided it was her life's mission to help those less fortunate than herself.

After she graduated, she went to Arizona and worked on a reservation for awhile, then went to South America. She never talks about where she was, or what happened there, so I don't know any details. Dad says she was quieter, more introspective, when she came back. Whatever she experienced there changed her. After she and dad were married, and started having us, she was content to stay home and take care of the neighborhood.

Mom has always had lots of medical supplies around the house. I don't know where she gets them, and nobody ever questions her about it. Not even the paramedics who periodically get called to transport someone she's already slapped an I.V. in, or put on oxygen. The neighbors call her before they call 9-1-1. She's splinted broken bones, dealt with severe allergic reactions, she even has a crash cart. She's used it, too. As I said, nobody ever asks her where she gets this stuff, so I have no clue where it comes from.

After she came back from South America, she went back to school to become a nurse/midwife. She's delivered most of the kids currently running around the neighborhood. Some of them in their homes. The neighbors tend to trust her more than they do doctors, so the women sometimes refuse to go to the hospital when they're about to give birth. A couple of younger doctors have tried to create problems for her, but have always been quieted by the older doctors who have seen her in action. The young guys object to her use of holistic medicine, and feel she's endangering their patients. My mom says they're just pissed off that they aren't making more money. Mom will send people to a regular doctor when she feels they need more advanced care. She won't take any chances with them.

My childhood was very unlike my mother's. Since she'd done nothing but deal with "piles of diapers" she was reluctant to leave any aspect of childcare of my sisters to me. She felt I should run around outside and get dirty. Because she was so used to kids, and so easy with them, most of my friends spent most of their time at my house. Dad built a treehouse in the backyard, and we had a huge play area, so we spent most of our time there. One of my friends fell out of the treehouse one summer and broke his leg. My mom calmly set the leg and called an ambulance to take him to the ER to get it cast. That was when her reputation as the neighborhood doctor really took off. After that, she was consulted on every illness that struck anyone, and provided a lot of the follow up care for some of the folks recuperating at home from hospital stays.