The Journey There

By Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

What you are about to read is from a journal that was started as a project in therapy in 1975. I was asked to write the more prominent events of my life starting with the present and work backwards to the earlier years of my life. I continued that journal for many years in many forms, those events that have played important parts in my life. They have not always been good fortune for me. They have mostly been traumatic and have influenced the makeup of my emotional well being and perceptions of people around me. Those events around my birth and shortly after having been recorded and remembered from the versions my mother and family have told me. Where allowed, I have embellished to some extend the entries to give credence to events that are lacking in factual memory or written history. The embellishment does not make then any less true. My mother has always been surprised at my ability to remember events that happened at such an early time in my life. She would claim it was impossible to have such memories at such a tender age. She failed to recognize the fact that the subconscious does register and hold in reserve such events that were traumatic and painful to be both physically and emotionally. Often these memories would surface and reveal some part of my childhood that were forgotten. Where other memories have always been present, and foremost as a part of life as far back as I can remember.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III
• Release date: Sep 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005167820

Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

I am a Award winning Poet, Writer, Artist, Sculptor, Pop Sociologist, an Inductee into the National Deans List, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. I have been active in Community Service: Past Board Member of the Vine Neighborhood Association (3 terms), Membership Chair, Fund Raising Committee, Board secretary and interim Board Treasurer. Past member of the Recipient Rights Committee, County Mental Health Board. KVCC Public Museum Volunteer for 20 years. Involved in Community Theater for 50 years off and on most recent with the Kalamazoo Civic Theater since 1985. I have been apart of a Disaster Relief team for Hurricane Andrew in Florida helping feed 5000 people a day. I have be a home missionary worker with a local church administrating a shelter program for the homeless, Minister of the food Ministry, cook, and procurement of emergency food pantry items 1991-1992, I am a graduate of Kalamazoo Valley Community College 1998, Studies at Western Michigan University, Studies at Lansing Community College 1975, Graduate of Davenport College of Business 1974. Graduated Portland High School at age 21 in 1970. I was born in 1951 premature Twin with developmental issues, Learnings disabilities, and hearing impaired.

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The Journey There

By

Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

Copyright 09/24/2021

Smashword Edition

License Notes

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Introduction

What you are about to read is from a journal that was started as a project in therapy in 1975. I was asked to write the more prominent events of my life starting with the present and work backwards to the earlier years of my life. I continued that journal for many years in many forms, those events that have played important parts in my life. They have not always been good fortune for me. They have mostly been traumatic and have influenced the makeup of my emotional wellbeing and perceptions of people around me. Those events around my birth and shortly after having been recorded and remembered from the versions my mother and family have told me. Where allowed, I have embellished to some extend the entries to give credence to events that are lacking in factual memory or written history. The embellishment does not make then any less true. My mother has always been surprised at my ability to remember events that happened at such an early time in my life. She would claim it was impossible to have such memories at such a tender age. She failed to recognize the fact that the subconscious does register and hold in reserve such events that were traumatic and painful to be both physically and emotionally. Often these memories would surface and reveal some part of my childhood that were forgotten. Where other memories have always been present, and foremost as a part of life as far back as I can remember.

Even today in my 70’s, there are fresh memories and old haunts. As I put into order these memories, I have found many events remain traumatic for me as if they were just yesterday that I lived them. The most important fact that stands out among all my earlier memories is that I always found that my prayers to God where a part of my daily living. My family was not churched nor on the other hand was I restricted from experiencing church. As my father put it just don’t expect me to take you to Sunday school. He had no objections if I was picked up or in later youth walked to church. God played a role often as a source to vent my anger, and frustration of a trouble childhood. The story starts with events that occurred around my premature birth and a few years after, will be chronicled starting at the time of birth going forward to age 70 at the time of putting together the many journal and diary entries, memories together at this time.. They do often go jumping ahead or flash backwards in time. Names of people, places, and dates have been either omitted, or changed to protect the innocence, regarding the often-sensitive events of my life. It is not my purpose in the writing of this story to point fingers, tell all, or bring incrimination to those in my past who were key players in events that where traumatizing or abusive. Of the many events mentioned I must share the blame for my own actions and poor judgements that lead to some of these actions. The events described are factual based on memories, and in the later years, actual written records from diaries and journals when those memories were fresher.

There was a purpose involved in the dredging up of these memories and recording them as a project in my earlier mental health therapy. It was with hope that they would help me understand myself better and give focus to certain events that would allow a healing process never achieved before this. If anything is accomplished by this story now it is that I pray that it will encourage others to understand the inner struggles a person goes through when faced with adversity and hopelessness. By the re-accounting of my life, I hope that it will bring a measure of peace to my own continuing struggles to stay above the adversity in life since my birth. You must forgive me if my entries often move forward and backward in time to relate association to certain events in my life. Most critical it that in this story I reveal my true name and locations where much of my life events occurred. As my readers of my Ebooks may be aware I write under the penname of Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III. This non-fiction account of my life is an extension of two earlier Ebooks published under my penname Walter and the Bullies, and the play version of Walter and the Bullies Walter the Play, I am that Walter. Those two Ebooks focused on the childhood bullies in my life, while this story extends that focus on further details under my true name with a few more revelations I was reluctant to add in the earlier stories. The whole purpose of the third story now at this time. I have left out actual physical locations, and where needed to protect the innocent I have used fictional names, and simply don’t remember the names of those adults in my story who are not apart my family. In many cases I just simply used neutral pronouns.

Chapter 1

I was born in 1951 a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1951st year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations, the 951st year of the 2nd millennium. I believe I was born on a Tuesday in the month of March. I was the second twin to arrive 20 minutes later after my twin brother arrived. A surprise to my mother and doctors. In 1951, unlike the later decades of sonar scans, twin births where often not detected until they arrived. We were nearly 4 months early and mother was not expecting twins. My older brother went home after one month in the hospital being the strongest of the two. I was told I was in the hospital for 3 months as I was the sickly of the two. You must realize that such births at that age were troubling more so than such premature births today in 2021 with all the latest medical natal technology. By the time I came home after three months in the hospital, the Doctors had informed my parents that I would be Mentally retarded, not likely, or mostly but mentally retarded and would not grow up to be a productive adult. That it would be best if my parents would at that time put me in an institution for children as it would be the right thing to do for me and them. I went home and for years later was I always reminded of what those doctor told my parents and not always in a positive context. At age 16 months later, I was stricken with a near death illness. The following is what I can imagine the doctor had said regarding my condition. This memory is based on what I have been told by my mother that I had one foot on deaths doorstep. Much of what I understand comes from bits and pieces as told to me by my mother throughout those early years.

I had been treated for an ear infection in the right ear that eventually grew worse to the point that one day as mother described on a car outing the right side of my head had suddenly swollen to the size of a softball and larger. The following conversations is fictional as I imagined it would be and what transpired at that time arriving at the hospital. Nurse Fuller entered the Doctor’s office. Doctor Blument was absorbed with the report on his desk. Nurse Fuller cleared her throat to get the doctor’s attention. The Doctor looked up from his reading.

Yes, Nurse Fuller.

The Vergeson baby was just brought in Doctor. He is being prepped for surgery.

"Thank you Nurse Fuller, please set. I was just going over the medical history. It says the boy was born premature at 4 months, weighting in at 4 ounces. Spent 3 months in an incubator, before it went home. Now 15 months later the child is fighting for its life. I just cannot understand why some doctors think an ear infection is just a simple matter

to treat, then forget about, and do not bother to monitor the child closer. Now the poor kid may be facing some tough times ahead. The x-rays show the Mastoid bone is completely encompassed with infection. The infection has already spread inward attacking the seventh cranial nerve and has invaded the right hemisphere of the brain. Already there is indication of Bell Palsy that may not be restorable due to permanent damage to those nerves, and the boy certainly has a permanent loss of hearing in the right ear."

"There is evidence of a brain abscess. You should have seen the baby when his parents brought him in. The right side of his head was swollen to the size of a softball. You would think the poor baby had two heads. They told me that they had a doctor treating him for a chronic ear infection. They thought he was gutting better when he stopped

crying over the pain. Hell, nurse that child could not even feel the pain anymore."

"Doctors are we going to be in time to save the child’ Nurse Fullers voice was full of concern.

"Yes, we are.’ the doctor said. ‘First I will need to remove the Mastoid born completely. Usually, we just remove the infected air cells in the bone. However, this time the