Diagnosis - 'Home Sickness'?

Back: Grace Buck Houser (Frank's mom)
Front (L to R): James Morrison Houser (Frank's brother),
Frank Lamber Houser (about 20 mo. old)

What is your earliesy childhood memory?  The most common ones have to do with their parents taking them somewhere big like Disneyland or the Grand Canyon.  Another has to do with a tradition; either daily or seasonally, such as nightly dinner around the table with the family or making homemade jam in the fall.

Frank's however had to do with modern day home health care.

Growing up Frank was just as healthy as any other child his age.  He contracted the usual childhood diseases of Measles and Mumps.

Yes, you read that right, measles and mumps! For those of us who are lucky enough to not know what these are, measles and mumps are a serious viral disease that can cause death.

When Frank contracted these 'typical' childhood diseases, he was not visited by the local town doctor at home (which was the common practice in the 1920's).  Rather he was treated at home by his brother James.  James, under the recommendation of his mother, gave Frank shocking hot and cold baths to help soothe his fevered body.

One of his other vivid memories, was the time when he was 13 at a scout camp in the San Bernadina mountains. While at camp, he started to get sick.  His scout leaders believing he had a bad case of 'home sickness', started treating him for this.  After a while it became clear that his case of 'home sickness' was getting worse then what they were comfortable with, so they sent him home (the only true cure for the dreaded disease of 'home sickness').

When Frank got him, his older cousin (who happened to be a nurse) was visiting his mother.  As soon as she saw him, she knew immediately what was wrong  - he had a severe case of peritonitis, which was caused by an appendicitis.

Frank was immediately taken to the hospital.  After staying there for a couple of weeks, he was finally released to come home with a drain attached to his abdomen.  During the three weeks following his hospital stay, he was visited by a doctor who checked and changed his drain and dressings at least weekly.

Now take a moment and think about what would have happened if his case of 'home sickness' continued to be 'treated' at camp. What if he had stayed another day?  Then think abut what would have happened if his cousin wasn't visiting his mom?

Here we are 76 years later, the direct recipients of one leader's decision and one coincidence at home that aligned together to make his survival possible - one that directly affects his seven children and dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Pretty amazing if you ask me.