Page 61 - Neil A. MacKinnon of Rear Beaver Cove

ISSUE : Issue 44

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/1/1

all night, you know. We didn't know what to do. Of course, the older ones, they were big--but they didn't know what to do for her. Didn't know what the pain was like. And Hughie took off for Boisdale. There was a telegraph at Boisdale Station. There used to be a train leaving Sydney, they called the way freight. And I think it left around 9 or 10 o'clock. Just a pas? senger car on it. He called Dr. Kendall in Sydney. This fellow used to go around the country. You know, if something happened to people, get a bad cut or somebody break a leg or something--he'd go and he'd fix them up. And he got ahold of him. And he was early enough that he could get this freight. Then they met him at the train with the horse and wagon, and they took him out. My mother was still suffering with the pain. I don't know what they were giving her-- hot drinks or what. But he diagnosed right away that it was appendix. Of course, ap? pendix was a very new thing at the time. "Now," he said, "you've got to be very careful, if we can get her to the hospital without that appendix breaking.. If it rup? tures, she won't have much chance." So by God, they went in and they got Big Mick's express wagon, a wagon with two seats in it. They took the back seat out, and they took it out to our place with the horse. They fastened the mattress on the wagon, the spring under the mattress. And then put her on there. And they had to tie that pretty well, because you know that mountain was pretty rough. So they had left in lots of time. They took their time going in, and they got her in. They notified the train to stop at Beaver Cove for a patient. They backed up until they got the baggage car right in front of the little station there. And they put the whole thing in there--the STUBBERT'S Convenience Stores Videos * Lottery Tickets * Film Frozen Foods * Magazines * Snacks 24 HOURS: 172 Main Street, Sydney Mines Corner George & Glenwood, Sydney 24 Commercial Street, North Sydney DAILY: Florence * Bras d'Or "We're there to serve you wherever you need us!" mattress that she was on, and the spring-- just took the whole thing and put it in the baggage car, with the mail and that. And the older two boys went on the train, too. And she was operated on, I guess, the next day. She got in there all right without any rupture. According to reports, the op? eration was successful. So in the meantime, when she was starting to recuperate, they had her all strapped, you know. And they used to take and put her in the chair alongside the bed, until they fixed up the bed. That was being done by a nurse. And she was called somewhere, emergency--she was called away, anyway. And she forgot to strap my mother with this bandage, to hold this thing in place. What happened was, in the meantime, one or two of those stitches gave way. There was what they call "proud flesh" started to form in this where the stitches broke. And the proud flesh--it's dead flesh--there's ' Cape Breton Health Unit Yes, these health services are available in your community: Department of Health ??Dental Health Services -Public Health Inspection ??Prenatal Classes -Health Education -Nutrition Information OFFICE LOCATIONS OFFICE LOCATIONS: NEIL'S HARBOUR 336-2295 ARICHAT 226-2944 NEW WATERFORD 862-2204 BADDECK 295-2159 PORT HAWKESBURY 625-1693 CHETICAMP 224-2410 PORT HOOD 787-3302 GLACE BAY 849-4566 ST. PETERS 535-2026 INVERNESS MARGAREE 258-2100 Ext. 134 248-2198 SYDNEY 564-4447 SYDNEY MINES 736-6245

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