Saturday, July 31, 2021

52 Ancestors: Health - Sig takes a fall

Sig Levy, c. 1966

This week's blog prompt reminded me of a letter that my grandfather, Sig Levy, had stashed away in the metal box where he kept many (all?) of his "important" papers which now resides in my home.  I've looked through it several times and there really isn't much other than insurance policies and jewelry appraisals but each time his notes about a fall piqued my interest.  So, here it is.





September 18, 1966 

This is what happened to me at the Community Hospital Fresno.  I was a patient under Dr. Knudson’s care in room 429.

He had taken me over to the hospital I believe on Monday Sept 12 for Xrays because I had terrible pains & a swelling in my right chest under my ribs.  He suspected a stoppage in the ducts of my pancreas and came to the house in the morning of that day and gave me two injections.  He came back again around noon time & the pain was still severe so he gave me another apparent stronger injection and ordered me to the hospital for Xrays but by the time I arrived at the hospital the pain had subsided & the swelling was down.  But he had the Xrays performed which took about an hour or more & he and Dr. Mayhee (?) said they could find nothing serious after reading the Xrays.

I was sent to my room & put to bed and ordered on a liquid diet.  During that afternoon Dr. Nielsen came to my room; examined me & said I was OK.  I was on a liquid diet for 2 days – during that time I was given several pills, a cup of liquid & a shot in the arm – all this was given me to get ready for more xrays.  This medication caused a stoppage of passing any urine so that night they dumped (?) my bladder.  In the meantime they took 2 blood tests & reported all OK.  Then on Thursday they took me down for another complete almost 2 hrs xray & forced liquid thru my veins.  The result was that all showed OK so I wanted to go home on Thurs but Dr. Knudsen said he wanted me to stay another night for medication which he gave me causing me to go to the toilet to urinate about every 20 minutes or so.  So late Thurs aft I asked the nurse if the side of the bed could be left down so I could go to the bathroom & she said yes but that I was not to get out of bed at night.  And I said then you will pull up the side of the bed & she said she would before she could go home from her shift & that was the last I saw of her.  Later that eve another nurse came in and gave me 2 large red pills & a sleeping pill and shortly after I fell in a dead sleep.  Later on I was awaken by having to urinate so in a daze I was feeling on the bed to reach for the urinal which the previous nurse told me to do.  I reached the tube alongside the bed which moved & I together with the urinal fell on the side of the bed & landing on my head & shoulders on the hard floor.  It hurt terribly & I grabbed ahold of the sides of the bed & tried & tried to get on my feet but the floor was so slippery I kept falling flat on my face.  After about 10 minutes or more of struggling I finally made it into bed.

At once I buzzed for a nurse and an orderly & nurse came in.  I told them I had a bad fall on my head which was cut & I hurt badly.  They put a tape on my head & left the room.  I & the bed was soaking wet & I thot they came back change my wet bed clothes etc. but that was the last I saw of them.

Later about 10 minutes I couldn’t stand the pain & wet any longer so I buzzed again and a different nurse came in I told her of my fall & condition & she at once changed the bedding & gown to make me comfortable.  She said no one told her that I had fallen on the floor so I asked her to notify my doctor which she said she would.  Later I called again & asked a different nurse to bring me aspirin to relieve the pain which she did.  I also asked to notify my doctor & she said it had been done.

The doctor finally arrived about 9:45 the next morning Friday.  I told him of the accident & he said they notified him during the night & told him I wasn’t hurt badly.  He at once ordered Xrays to ascertain if I broke any bones & the result was that I had not.

When I hit the floor on the floor [sic] it almost knocked me out completely but I finally struggled to bed with a painful chest & ribs.  He released me for home by my wife later Friday.

Sig Levy

And almost as an afterthought, he added this.

When the second nurse came in Thurs eve and gave me a sedative even tho the previous nurse forgot to pull up the side of the bed rails the nurse should have taken care of it because she might know I would become dazed later in the night.  It appeared to be gross negligence on the nurse’s part. 

Why did he write this?  Was he anticipating a lawsuit of some kind?  Was there a lawsuit that I just haven't found evidence of?  So many questions.

I wasn't quite 14 when Sig died so don't have a ton of memories of him but I'm learning that he might have been a bit quirky.  He also, apparently, like to document things "just in case".

What's interesting is that just 2 years later, August 17, 1968 Sig died from pancreatic cancer.  You can see that the death certificate states he'd had it for 1 year.  

Was this event he describes above the beginning of the illness that took his life?  Who knew?

Friday, July 23, 2021

52 Ancestors: Fashion - Hats off!

This week's blog prompt, Fashion, had me going through some photos to discover a theme.  It was then that I noticed how many hats there were in my family, particularly on the paternal side.  It is amazing how many different style of hats there are.  So, hats off to those in hats!

My grandmother, Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy, had a lot of hats.  Here's a few through the years.

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer, 1896

On her honeymoon?  1919

I remember "back in the day" when we would dress up to fly on a plane.  Looks like Loraine did just that before she took her seat.


I remember Grandma wearing a hat like this.

Grandmother back from Hawaii, c. 1959

Her mother, Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, also liked hats and the two of them liked to show them off together.

Abe and Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, Loraine Gunzendorfer c. 1919


Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy


She was sporting quite a hat at Dad's graduation from Stanford in 1949.


Here's an old one - check out all of these hats!  Bertha and Abe are in the front.


Even Bertha's family liked hats!

Parents Louis and Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz, 
Brothers Milton and Colman Schwartz

Looks like little Colman didn't have a hat - but he found a few!

Colman Schwartz, 1890


Colman Schwartz, 1896

And the Levys liked hats, too!

Sig Levy, 5th from the right - you'll see that style of hat again


Sig on the right with his WWI hat on

Sig Levy, ready for a costume party

Looks like Sig posing while on his honeymoon.  Is that the same hat?



Keeping the head warm!


My dad liked hats, too.  I remember in the 60's he always matched a hat to his suit.  Sadly, I haven't found any photos of that.  Check out this hat!

Gordon Levy, Vancouver BC, 1936 - Like father, like son

This one is a little goofy but SO "Dad".

Gordon and Gerry (Martin) Levy

Believe it or not, the hats got even goofier.

Now they're ready for a costume party

Keeping his head warm AND dry!


Crazy Hat Night at Family Camp

Even my sister and I got into the act.

What a pose!

And a few of our own creations from Crazy Hat Nights.

I'm in the middle - 1958


1961

But the most elaborate hat I came across was modeled by my grandmother's first cousin, Henrietta Schwartz.  Grandma's mother (Bertha Schwartz) was the younger sister of Henrietta's father, Joseph Schwartz.  Maybe she was going to the Kentucky Derby?

Henrietta Schwartz, date unknown

That's a lot of hats!!!


Sunday, July 18, 2021

52 Ancestors: Transportation - It takes all kinds

This week's blog prompt reminded me of a few posts I've already written about Transportation.  You can refresh your memory here.

TRANSPORTATION

NATIONAL AVIATION DAY

MACHINES AND ROADSTERS AND CARS...OH MY!

As I looked through my photos to find a transportation theme, I came across many different forms of transportation, some of which we don't often think about as transportation.  But if it gets you from Point A to Point B, it's transportation in my book.  Sit back while I have some fun!

Of course, a car is what typically comes to mind.  And I have lots of photos of people beside or inside cars.  My favorite might be this picture of me with big sister and Mom - maybe in Hawaii (based on big sister's clothes) in 1961.  Wait - Mom looks pregnant which she was in 1961 so this is probably correct.


And then this classic of Dad in a car.  I have a vague memory of this car - probably the car they had when I was a small child.  Am I remembering correctly that it's a 1957 Chevy?  And the house doesn't look familiar so, perhaps, it's the house on Cheryl Way they moved from in 1958?


There you go, Dad, this looks like quite a classic!


This must be a "prop" from somewhere - but where?  Reminds me of what my grandmother used to refer to as a "machine".  Looks like fun!


Not really much of a photo - just a mom and her kids packing up to go somewhere, maybe family camp or the beach?  What really caught my eye, though, is the car in the garage - if I remember it is a Buick Skylark (1962?) which is the car I learned to drive in.  And if I remember correctly, at one point my sister and I "shared" this car to use to go back and forth to school.


Here's a few different cars and trucks.  I think this must have been the Homecoming "parade" in 1969.



Haha - this was quite a car.  I remember loving that Disneyland ride because it felt like you were really driving.


And then we start getting a little more obscure.  But donkeys are a good way of getting around, aren't they?

A few years later, we "graduated" to horses.  Boy did we have fun with these two!


Little brother didn't get very far on his horse.


Of course boats are a form of transportation.  Some for many people....



And some for just a few.


Lake Tahoe - I'm holding the little kid.

We were always forbidden to ride a motorcycle - hopefully this is as close as little brother got.


Of course there are many ways to get from Point A to Point B at Disneyland.  The Monorail or Skyway....


The Matterhorn.....


Or the Caterpillar to travel through the Looking Glass.


A few other modes of transportation.  I think Mom may have made a friend during one of their trips - maybe he was their guide for the jeep?



Now this is an interesting contraption.  But looks like we were having fun - or at least little brother was!



Stage coach was a comfortable way to get from Point A to Point B back in the day.


 

My cousin is taking the fun way to get into the water.


Of course planes are a common form of transportation.  I think that's me bringing up the rear.


Mom didn't have much of an adventurous streak which is why she just stood beside the Mercury.



That's a lot of forms of transportation.  But none was as unusual as this.  A SNAIL?????