OLIVER HAMBLIN UPDATE

6/2/2011 My baby brother, Oliver, or as we call him, Oly, has progressed remarkably well.  He's off his intubation,  no more pureed meals,  and is scheduled to have his tracheotomy tube either removed or reconfigured, or something, not sure what yet. BARUCH HASHEM!  He's still at Vibra Specialty Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and his daughter Rebecca Ramirez, repeats the scenario our mother did years ago when Oly was a baby.  Oly was #6 baby.  Rebecca & Jesus have 6 children.  Rebecca goes to visit her father every day or two, just like Mom did with him when he was hospitalized as an infant for emergency tracheotomy.  He had so many allergies there was hardly anything Mom could feed him.  Imagine preparing meals for a family of eight, (this was before today's fast foods when women cooked meals from scratch), and one child, a baby has to have different foods specifically prepared for that baby.  Thinking back on that day when baby Oly couldn't breathe, with 5 of us at home, Dad at work in Portland (we lived 25 miles outside of Portland, in Sherwood)....  
I cannot imagine the horror this 25 year old mother, my Mom,  must have felt as she scooped Oly up, ran him to the car, and drove him 25 miles to the hospital for the emergency tracheotomy.  

This was also before there were ambulances and medic trucks around every corner, in the neighborhood.  We didn't live in a neighborhood.  We lived on a dirt road, 5 miles outside of minuscule Sherwood, with 2 neighbors: the Stahlneckers across the road, from whom we got our whole milk, straight from their cows, and the Yosts, up and across the road, from whom we got our eggs.
We owned 20 acres of land, most of which was filled with Douglas Fir trees, though Dad did rent out, to someone, a few acres for farming.  
Mom was a brave young woman, but women were pretty hard stock in those days.  They had to be.  They could look spectacularly soft & gorgeous in their svelt bodies, pretty dresses, curled and coiffed hair dos, matching purse, high heels, and gloves though, too.  Our mom with her raven black hair and hazel eyes was a real beauty.  I hope to get a hold of some pictures of her, eventually.
The only makeup she ever wore was lipstick, which she blotted with a square of toilet tissue folded in half, pressed between her lips, and then she would lightly rub the lipstick blotted tissue on each cheek.   It was considered improper for a lady to be in public wo lipstick.

My sister, sibling #5, Laurie, will call the hospital at 6:00 p.m. tonight for an update on Mom.  Because the hospital nurses won't talk to anyone not immediate family, this morning while Laurie was at work, I called Laurie's husband, Willie, and then flashed over to Rebecca, and Will called the hospital.  I did the talking, and identified myself as Winnie's daughter to Mom's nurse, while Rebecca and Will listened in to the nurse's report.  This way Rebecca can update her Dad, Oly, and reassure him that Mom is okay, and Willie can update Laurie so she doesn't worry too much either, until she can call the hospital for this evening's 6:00 p.m. call to get an update.
Laurie and Oly have significant "LOSS" issues because of what happened to them when they were young, so they do not handle loss well, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Mom.
All on that for now my little chickadees.