by Tobias Van Buren

Created on: September 16, 2008

"WE THOUGHT YOU'D DIED." "I DID, BUT I CAME BACK."

This is a story (true) about my grandmother's experience with mental illness and how I dealt with it as a very young boy.

In 1950 during a late November hurricane - I think Thanksgiving weekend - we had Grandma at our Shady Glen Court New Rochelle, NY apartment - celebrating a Saturday or Sunday after-Thanksgiving dinner with her. Aunt Eldora and Luke had had their Thursday Thanksgiving dinner with her.

A window blew out in my dad and step-mom's bedroom when I'd tapped the window where an outdoor thermomenter was affixed outside to - to get the absolute accurate temperature reading, which went from 51 to 52 degrees. As you know, during a hurricane, the barometric pressure outside is lower than the pressure inside. The wind and rain blew in hard! I had to quickly cover the window, which was small - one of many little ones within a larger one. I, just 10-years old, had the foresight to go into the kitchen and get the cookie sheet to place it over the blown-out space - somehow affixing it there - maybe moving a high piece of furniture against it to hold it there - not sure I remember exactly.

Grandma suddenly snapped - 65 at the time. Repeatedly, she kept saying over and over - "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear"! She had a terrible expression on her face. She'd already shown symptoms of a nervous breakdown. Well, this surely was it! She said nothing more - just, "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!

We called Dr. Meredith, told him what happened. He was at home but told us to meet him at his office, bringing Grandma. I'll never forget what a drive that was in our '47 Pontiac convertible - the top up of course - through that hurricane - flooded streets, tree branches down - whole trees in places! The canvass top was buckling as if it would tear off!

We got to the doctor's office, and Grandma was not to return home again for five years! She was sent to Wingdale Insane Assylum in Pauling, NY. She also spent time at Rockland State, and some time at Nyborg Nursing home (near where we lived), which was for a very short time when she had seemed to be improving but suddenly taken for a lot worse again. It was back to Wingdale! It was very much like the movie "Snake-Pit" (1948 with Olivia deHavilland). That movie was made just two years before, so it accurately showed mental hospitals of that era - horrid!

I, just ten years old, insisted that I be allowed to visit my grandma - unusual so young a child going to a place like that. I had

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next Page >>