When I first came home from the hospital, I had
neither the strength nor the flexibility to attend
to my own needs. I was in bed, in diapers, and
wearing a Texas catheter. All of which needed
frequent changes. I could recognize an impending
bowel movement, but I could not resist it. I
remember Betty answering my call in the middle of
the night to come attend to the bedpan and to
clean me afterward. I wonder if I could have been
so uncomplaining if she were the one who was ill.
Even now, almost two years later, her support and
her willingness have not diminished. Thankfully,
the need for such support has almost gone away.
I am so lucky to have married her.
Alton, who intends no hurt to those less fortunate