Transcription
June 29 1936
Dear Irene & Ginny:
I am writing you a joint letter in/order to save time inasmuch as the information going forward to each of you is exactly the same.
For some reason or other it seems that for the time being at least I must be destined to be the purveyor of bad tidings, for such is the import of this letter.
As you know, Franklin has been in ill health for over a year. After he returned home from his illness in Italy he was pretty shaky for the first couple of months but thereafter seemed to gain in strength and weight and in general health so that we were much encouraged this spring and felt that he was on the road to permanent recovery.
However, about three months ago he began to run temperatures again in the afternoon and Uncle Will advised that he again put on the brakes, become less active, rest every afternoon and go to bed early. This treatment didn’t seem to do much good, as the temperatures kept recurring, so Uncle Will suggested that he be sent to the Cleveland Clinic, there given a thorough examination and checked for tuberculosis, which was done.
The Clinic reported a negative test with regard to the tuberculosis but recommended that he go to bed and stay in bed for at least three months, as they stated it would require complete rest in order to build up his resistance to the point that more rapid progress could be made in absorbing the fluid in the lining of his lungs that was being absorbed too slowly.
About the first of May Franklin got into bed and has been there ever since. At first it seemed as if the treatment was making headway, as he ceased to have fever and seemed to be feeling very much better – so much so that he began to sit up in bed and read and write, listen to the radio and receive visitors. This went on for about a month, until about two weeks ago when his fever again began to climb up in the afternoon, he began to get very weak, visitors tired him and he began to develop night sweats, nausea and gas in his abdomen.
As Uncle Will had left for up North and had turned the case over to Andy Robinson, Andy was called in and immediately recommended cutting out all visitors, more simple diet, more rest and no activity in the way of reading and writing. Notwithstanding the fact that his recommendations were carried out by Franklin, his condition continued to get worse - that is, his fever got higher, was more continuous, his weakness increased, his nausea increased, his night sweats increased and the gas in his abdomen increased very markedly - so much so that for the past ten days his abdomen has been so filled with gas that it is as hard as a rock and he has been suffering considerable pain.
As his condition grew worse, mother and Dr Robinson became increasingly concerned and finally called in Dr Hyde of the Springfield Lake Sanitorium. The two doctors finally diagnosed Franklin’s case as pleurisy of the lungs and peritonitis of the lining of the abdomen. As yet there is no symptom of tuberculosis, although both doctors say that a negative reaction now does not mean that positive reaction may not develop later.
In substance what has happened is that the infection which was in the lining of his lungs has now spread to the lining of the abdomen wall. This infection is causing water blisters or rather fluid blisters to appear all over the abdomen wall which is compressing the thirty feet of intestines contained therein, which in turn is producing gas as a result of the peristaltic action of the intestines rubbing against the fluid blisters.
Of course all of this is tremendously increasing Franklin’s pain, weakness, temperature and lowering his vitality. As Andy Robinson told mother and me the day before yesterday, Franklin is a very weak boy and while this new development is not necessarily a fatal development, it is a very serious development and means a long fight and a hard fight.
Both doctors state that Franklin will have to lie flat on his back for at least a year; that he cannot engage in any form of activity except that four or five months hence he may be read to and may listen to the radio. At the present time he must have complete quiet and complete rest twenty-four hours out of the day and must be waited upon hand and foot and cannot move out of his bed or even sit up.
Both of the doctors are satisfied that the acute stage of pain, temperature and suffering he is going thru [sic] now will pass within the next ten days but both are equally sure he is in for a long long pull before his resistance is raised to the point where it can actually overcome the inroads made by the infection in his body.
Last Saturday night mother was up four times during the night, during each of which times she had to completely change his bed linen due to his nausea. Needless to say she was a wreck yesterday, being thoroughly tired out from nursing Franklin immediately following the long siege of nursing she had with father, preceded by the previous nursing of Franklin.
We had a huddle and after talking the thing over from every angle decided that rather than send Franklin out to the Springfield Lake Sanitorium, his mental attitude would be much better if he remained at home and a hospital ward set up at Stan Hywet. Inasmuch [sic] as part of his cure depends upon sun baths, mother had all of the furniture taken out of her upstairs living room and had that turned into a hospital room for Franklin. She also has a regulation hospital bed that can be rolled out onto the porch over the Chinese Room.
At the present time we have employed two trained nurses, each doing twelve hours duty, to sit in constant attendance upon him and in about two weeks time we will endeavor to replace them with one twenty-hour nurse if his condition will have improved sufficiently by then to permit less attention. However, for the next week at least he will have to have nursing attention twenty-four hours out of the day.
I’ll say for Franklin that in spite of his intense suffering of the present moment and the knowledge that is now his that he is in for a long hard pull and a more or less lonely fight, his spirit is remarkable. He has reconciled himself mentally to the ordeal and siege and is prepared to settle down to doing nothing but attending to recovering his health.
As the doctors say that mental attitude is half the battle, I am sure he will come thru [sic] all right, but I do think both of you girls should know just exactly how serious the situation is and what is ahead of mother and father in the care of Franklin.
Mother has been simply wonderful thruout [sic] all these recent developments and what amazes me the most of all is how a woman her age can have such tremendous endurance, as she has been endeavoring to hold the fort single-handedly, keeping not only a calm spirit but also a cheerful and hopeful one. Yesterday morning, however, she had just about reached the breaking point and was pretty thoroughly exhausted.
Now that we know what the condition is and have organized for it, I am sure the burden and strain on mother will be a lot easier, particularly if Franklin keeps coming along and improving in the way that we all hope he will do.
I am leaving tonight to go Up North and advise Father of the exact status of Franklin, as well as to talk over the business situation with him. We all feel that he should be told about this rather than to try to put it in a letter.
Outside of the above, which is sad news indeed, things are looking up very definitely. The rubber business has taken on a most encouraging mien and the outlook is most favorable for a continuance of our improved condition. I believe that for the first time since 1930 we are going to end the year with a profit before depreciation close unto half a million dollars and as a result of these improved earnings the refinancing which the company must do appears to be definitely on the way, as all of the creditors and principal parties and interests are very much encouraged and inclined to settle down and come to an agreement. I think it will not be long now before this refinancing is finished so that the tremendous strain that has been on father will be relieved and he will be able to recover his health and strength much more rapidly.
Everyone else in Akron, in the family, is well as far as I know, and while Harriet bemoans the fact that summer time is not the time to have a baby, she is in good spirits and in good health.
I am taking Mary Margaret and her nursemaid, Ann, up with me tonight and although I only expect to stay two days at the outside, I am going to leave Mary and Ann up North for a week or ten days vacation with all of Willard’s children. They will then return with Bobbie Pflueger when he returns.
Needless to say Mary is terribly thrilled at her prospective trip and is looking forward anxiously to getting up North once again.
Hoping that this finds you and yours all in good health and enjoying life in spite of the political din and hullabaloo that blares forth from every radio, I remain
Affectionately
Your Brother Pen
Mrs Milton W Harrison
33 Highland Circle
Bronxville N YTranscriber
Cindi RokeLanguage
English
