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life Can B« Beautifdl, written by Cari Bixby
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BEHIND THE BLANK WALL Radio Mirror's Best Letter of the Month
Dear Papa David:
This story goes back to the days of depression. I was a registered nurse, and there was plenty work, but people were unable to pay. I worked in some homes for a very low wage, sometimes not only cooking for the patient but the husband as well. On some cjises I would do the house work — ^and even the washing.
It had always been my desire since my training days to have a hospital of my own — and speciaUze in obstetrics. Due to the fact nursing was slow I decided to go to California and take a Post Graduate Course in obstetrics and prepare myself for this kind of nursing.
While I was taking this training I would tell others of my plans, and they said it was impossible. How could I ever expect to get money for hospital expenses when people could not really afford a doctor's bill — much less a hospital?
After I finished my Post Graduate Course I went back to the State of Washington. I arrived in this small town of about 2P,000 with no money, but fixed with ambition to make my dreams come true. I talked it over with a nurse friend of mine.
One day I decided to call on an old patient of mine, so we did, and we were able to borrow the large sum of $100. Then we began to look for the house that would be suitable for our nursing home.
We finally found a large two-story house and it was just what we wanted. The building was so
run down that we were given two months' free rent for cleaning it up — and it surely needed it.
We could not afford to hire anything. So we worked one month by ourselves getting it in shape, we payed one month's rent and we had to buy furniture, a stove, washing machine and many small items. We were fortunate to obtain some antique hospital furniture for the small sum of $10 down and $10 a month. Everything we bought was bought on the time payment plan. After we had the hospital furnished we had just $11 to buy medicine so we made a Ust of the important things such as cotton, ether, chloroform, alcohol, etc. Then we felt we were ready to announce our opening. We were surprised with a shower of gifts for the hospital, so many useful things.
• At first the doctors were not too anxious to cooperate— as they were satisfied with the one large hospital in the town. But when we told them we were . going to save money for the patients and they looked our small hospital over they decided to do what they could to help.
Now we were ^vaiting for that first day and it wasn't long before an emergency came in. Everything worked out wonderfully, although our first little one weighed only three pounds. But we gave it the best of care and it gained every day, and from that time on we were kept plenty busy. We worked day and night and it was only a little while before we had to hire help. We were averaging around forty babies a month and finally had . to move to a much larger place.
There are many things that happened and lots
Soon or late, there comes this kMwIed^e tQ#aye the mind