National Adult Literacy Database

December 17, 2007

A Childhood Story

by Kathy Dobson

Kathy with her craftwork at Halifax North

As a child I lived on Water Street. It was winter and I went to school for a short time. Before the winter was over our roof started to leak so my mother went to see the people upstairs. She said my daughter is sick. She wrapped a blanket around me then she went upstairs to ask if anyone could drive my daughter and I to the hospital. One of the neighbours had a truck and he drove us there. When we got to the hospital my mother and I got out and she thanked him and we went inside. When the doctor came out I went inside with the doctor. My mother waited in the waiting room. When he came out he told Mom I had polio. He told her I had to stay in the hospital.

While I was there I had to learn to walk on crutches and I had to go to speech therapy to learn to talk again. I had to stay in the hospital for three years. When I was able to go home my mother came to get me and the doctor wanted to talk to Mom. He told Mom I was ok and I could go back to school. When we left the hospital we went home. My mom took me to school the next day. The teacher told my mother at the end of the day that I couldn't keep up with the other children so I couldn't go back to public schools so my mom phoned the Truro Training School. I stayed home until there was an opening. I like to remember my sister and my brothers and my dad.