Mom would arrive at the Johannesburg General Hospital in Hillbrow early on a Monday morning and spend the week having her cancer treatments. She would immediately look forward to the friday morning when she would be fetched to go back home to Vanderbijlpark.
Her diary notes are open on my desk and I notice that the first thing I am looking for is references to myself and my siblings.
I have been confused about this period in my life and for decades I have told people that my Mom spent 6 months in hospital, when in fact it was 6 weeks.
I have held guilt too and a feeling of not showing up for her during this time in her life.
I wonder if I am being hard on my 18 year old self, no car, certainly no cellphone and also in hindsight I know that I adjusted poorly to the freedom of leaving home.
I wonder if I am being hard on my 18 year old self, no car, certainly no cellphone and also in hindsight I know that I adjusted poorly to the freedom of leaving home.
I have mapped out her notes in this table and I love the entry from Wednesday 7th August 1974, I have a sense of a garden and it seems that visit gave her some comfort.
Date:
|
Finding myself in Mom’s
diary notes.
The 6 weeks in
Hillbrow Hospital 1974.
|
Visitors that she
mentions
|
Monday 15th July
|
Sharon stayed till 7.30. I
think it was a little to long for her she looked quite tired, but she managed
to do quite a bit of work on her maths notes.
|
|
Tuesday 16th July
|
Selwyn Marx called to see
me at lunchtime. He sat and watched me eat it was very nice to see him.
Christopher and Sharon came
to see me and we had a good laugh about all the shouting nonsence ( a story she wrote about been woken up at
night by someone screamimg which made her scream in turn)
|
Joyce
|
Wednesday 17th
July
|
||
Thursday 18th
July
|
Cora called this afternoon
and left at 4pm.
|
|
Friday 19th July
|
||
Monday 22nd July
|
Cora called this afternoon
|
|
Tuesday 23rd July
|
Well it is our daughter’s
birthday. It is hard to believe we have a child of 18. I am looking forward
to seeing her tonight and giving her the beautiful ring from your Mother. I
know she will treasure it all her life.
By the way I managed to
finish the crotchet cloth I was doing for Sharon so I can give it to her
today for her birthday as well.
|
Dad, Joyce and Cora are
here this afternoon.
|
Wednesday 24th
July
|
Oh! Chip Sharon was so
thrilled and full of life last night. She was bubbling over with fun. Madam
bought all her birthday cards and presents, plus her blouses etc for me to
see. All the ladies in the ward sang ‘Happy Birthday” to her as she walked
in. It was quite touching.
|
|
Thursday 25th
July
|
Dad and Cora’s mom came to
visit this afternoon.
|
|
Friday 26th July
|
||
Monday 29th July
|
Cora called this afternoon,
won’t see her till Thursday
|
|
Tuesday 30th July
|
Sharon, Chris and Selwyn
Marx called this evening
|
|
Wednesday 31st
July
|
||
Thursday 1st
August
|
||
Friday 2nd August
|
||
Monday 5th August
|
Chris and Sharon came just
after six and stayed till 7.30. Was waiting from 7.00pm to hear you on the
phone
|
|
Tuesday 6th
August
|
||
Wednesday 7th
August
|
Sharon walked here this
afternoon and stayed till 4pm We took a stroll in the garden and she went to
the Café and bought us each a Fanta Orange. It was very nice sitting under
the trees and I felt as if all the cobwebs were blown away.
|
|
Thursday 8th
August
|
||
Friday 9th August
|
||
Monday 12th
|
Had no visitors today.
|
|
Tuesday 13th
|
I am anxiously waiting to
hear about Clive and cannot wait to see you tomorrow evening.
|
|
Wednesday 14th
|
It was lovely seeing Inel
for a few minutes yesterday afternoon.
|
|
Thursday 15th
|
I am so excited and
thrilled about Clive. Hell he has really done well for himself. What lucky
parents we have been so far.
|
|
Friday 16th
August
|
||
Tuesday 20th
|
I felt in no mood to write
anything yesterday and am reading Thursday’s notes it just goes to show how
quickly one can be disappointed. I am afraid after your phone call last night
and Clive speaking to me I really had a fit of depression and just sat and
cried my heart out. I guess this is
just another blow I have to get over, I am so terribly sorry that it has
happened and I feel it might have been avoided had I not been away for so
long. As you know Chip I think the world of Clive and so want him to be
strong in character like you.
Sharon and Betty came to
visit me Monday afternoon.
|
Lorraine and Barry (monday)
|
Wednesday 21st
|
I have got over the fit of
‘morbes’ I had on Monday but you know the reason why I had them.
|
I had no visitors yesterday
(Tuesday)
|
Thursday 22nd
August
|
….last entry….
|
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