Linda Discards Braces, Crutches;
Mother Praises March of Dimes
m(TOR'S NOTE: Dorothy E, Brrese,
young Columbus, Ohio, mother, tells cl
the remarkable progress mode by her
daughter in overcoming the disability
caused by a severe birth d-ilrcf.)
By DOKOTHV K. MtTF.SE
My little Linda lias done
far more things in, her five
years than most people even
dream of being able to do in
an entire lifetime.
As the March of Dim1' 1961
National Poster Child, she met
President Kennedy in per on
and rode on a float in his in
auguration parade She starred
in an hour-long television pro
gram with some of the coun
try's most popular television
and movie star;.
Linda has traveled front
coast to coast and seen her pic
ture in nearly every newspa
per printed. She has autograph
books filled with the signatures
of celebrities and famous peo
ple she has visited.
These are just some of the
things Linda has done that are
beyond the reach of most of us.
But the one thing we wanted
most for her was something the
average person takes for
granted—-the ability to walk
alone and unaided.
There were many times cur
ing the years that my husband,
Dean, and I thought that Linda
would never be able to throw
away her braces and crutches.
And to be truthful, there were
terrifying moments when we
feared we might even lose her:
Linda was born with an
opening in her spinal column,
a condition known medically ;
as spina bifida. As a result, her j
body was seriously affected j
from the waist down.
When she was only a few
hours old, Linda underwent a
delicate operation that partial
ly corrected this condition. The !
surgery was performed at Chil
dren's Hospital in Columbus
where subsequently The Na
tional Foundation with March ;
of Dimes funds established the 1
first of its Birth Defects Clini
cal Study Centers in 1959.
When she was nine months
old, it was found that Linda
had water on the brain, which
has the medical name of hydro
cephalus. This condition was
v. ' i. luiiwiuii »iwai»i«www«B«wp«
Linda at 23 months after two
operations for birth defects.
And . . .
» , . Linda fotey, now abfe fo
walk without her crutches or
leg brflccs.
treated fay the insertion of a
“shunt” tube which drains the
excess fund from the head into
the blood stream.
You can imagine how much
we worried about our little girl
in those early days, because
we knew she was never far
from death. It could have come
at any time. Alter all. 250;000 j
infants are born in this eoun- i
fry each year wish a significant
birth defect and 21,003 of them
die.
But Linda continued to im
prove. She received specialized |
treatment at the March of
Himes - supported verifier. She
got her leg braces and crutches,
Linda hated them, but she
learned to use them.
When, though — if ever —
would she be able to run and
play with her sister and two
older brothers and the other
neighborhood children?
The answer to that question,
depended on Linda, her doc
tors, the rehabilitation thera
pists, and us. We all worked
together. We worked long, and
we worked hard, but it was
worth it. ____
Only the other day, Linda
took her first halting steps
across our living room without
her crutches or icg braces. It
was an unforgettable experi
ence. In my excitement, I tele
phoned the good news to every
one I knew—and probably
quite a few I didn't know. It
was a real :hout-from-the
housetop? event.
Linda has won through. She
improves every day. Now her
trips to the birth defects cen
ter have been cut to just one
every three months. Best of
all—we have been able to en
roll her in kindergarten.
Dean and I and the children
remember the gloomy days. We
know that many other parents
of afflicted children are going
through similar days of anxiety
and heartbreak right now. But
i we also know that The Na
11 ional Foundation-March of
! Dimes is looking for the cause
I and cure of birth defects.
! March of Dimes contributions
> led to the triumph over polio,
! and I’m a firm believer in the
| slogan that “Your Dimes Will
I Do It Again.”
GAS ■>■!
Water Heaters
Wall Heaters
Caloric Ranges
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Soldetna Phone 262-4361
Store Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.ra.
Governor's
Aide
(Continued from page 1)
approval of the Chamber.
Chamber members voted to
endorse legislation asking that
$300,000 be provided for study
of the Tumagain Arm causeway.
A k antra suggested that letters
be written to all legislators ask
ing for thair support.
Robert O. D-wyre, district
highway engineer, will be in the
Soldotna area within two weeks
to discuss urban renewal pro
jects the Chamber was informed.
Contracts for the remainder
of the Home; road paving are to
be let in the iteao future in three
separate contracts, with comple
tion to be in two years.
Top ranking newsmen from 12
of the 25 leading newspapers in
the nation will be in Alaska to
attend the governor’s four d^y
conference May 2 to 5, with Gov.
William Egan as chairman.
Alcantra said he will work
GENERAL
C0NTHACT1NG
LICENSED—BONDED—EXPERIENCED
Fra® Estimates
DYE CONSTRUCTION
Contpaay
box m ™oxe
with the Chamber’s committee in
getting these newsmen to visit
the Peninsula area. Hilton Mc
Creary, advance man to set up
plains for the meeting of govern
ors, is to be in Anchorage this
month.
It was also announced that
$15,000 has been appropriated
jtnd is available far study of the
proposed widening of Sterling’
highway through Soldotna from
the bridge and toward Kenai to
the vicinity of the Cheechako
News location and one half mile
toward Sterling. This would in
clude drainage, the laying out of
a main street and pedestrian
walkways.
George Denison, Soldotna area
Civil Defense director, announced
that signals on the new siren
will be one long and one short
blast at 80 second intervals for
INCOME
TAX
PAUL’S
BOOKKEEPING
SERVICE
Box 486, Kenai
Homesite Loop Road
yt Mile from
North Kenai Road
# ANY HOUR
# ANY DAY
PHONE
283-7657
t hi -
fire calls, three shorts every -10
seconds fear ambulance and in the
event of nuclear attack the siren
would be sounded continuously
for five minutes.
The take cover warning will be
a wavering alarm lasting for
three minutes.
Youth Rally
9r‘
SOLITOTNA—A monthly youth
rally is being conducted at the
Soldotna Baptist church, near
the Y, on the second Saturday
of each month at 7:'}0 p.m. Rev.
Bert Schultz arid Rev. Vince
Porte Eire directing the program.
All teenage arid college age
young people are invited to at
tend. At the Feb. 10 meeting two
films were shown, “Angry Jun
gle” and ‘‘Bible Lands and
Customs.'’
C heechako News classified ads
— cost little — get results. Try
them.
Read the Classified ads—-it pays
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Atro Motor Oil 35c qt.
$L20 per gallon in hulk
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STANDARD OIL PRODUCTS
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