Ethel And Elaine And The Miracle That Happened Elita Sohmer Clayman

I had a cousin who was unlucky enough to get Polio, the dreaded disease of young children, which was around in about the 1940’s. Her name was Elaine and she was born on the first day of spring and I was born on the first day of summer. It was a sad and terrifying disease that left a person usually unable to use their legs and if they did recover, they had to wear braces all the time and really could not walk well. Some children and even adults were left unable to walk at all. When my children were infants and up to usually age eighteen, you use children’s doctor known as a pediatrician. The one we used was Dr. Arnold Tramer and he walked with a limp and the story was that he had Polio as a child and recovered and was left with this limp. It was said he became a pediatrician to help others to be and stay healthy. He was a dear and kind doctor and everyone felt secure in knowing he would dispense his knowledge and keep the children well.

Cousin Elaine was an only child and her dad Frank’s mom was my grandfather’s sister. Mom and I use to visit Aunt Ethel often because she was mom’s aunt. She was kind of a sour old lady and she had a nice husband, quiet and serene named Uncle Meyer. I did not like her too much, she was too stiff in her attitude towards kids; but she loved her granddaughter a lot. Everyone was worried about Elaine and her Polio. Her parents did all there was to do in this situation and everyone prayed for her quick and great recovery.

One day, we heard that Aunt Ethel had her husband take her to the cemetery where her own parents were laid to rest and she said sincere prayers at her mom’s grave. She told her mom what this grandchild meant to her, she was the youngest one of her several grand kids. About a week later, we got the news that Elaine was on her way to a complete recovery with no visual or mental after problems. Aunt Ethel became so much nicer, pleasanter and kinder after that happening of her beloved Elaine getting healed.

It was the talk of the family of how Aunt Ethel had a conversation with her own mom about her own grandchild and she truly maintained her mom had a part in the child’s recovery. Everyone was happy for Ethel and some believed a miracle had occurred that afternoon in the cemetery grounds.

Several years later, vaccines were on the market and everyone young and old was told to be immunized against this dreaded disease.Eventually, they said Polio was wiped off the scene and very rare cases now days may appear. Usually, I think they may be still inoculating against this disease.

I heard a saying that says “Believe you can and you are half way there.” I could add that believe you cannot and you will never be there. Aunt Ethel told many of the relatives she was going to talk to her deceased mom and ask her help in saving this precious grandchild of hers which would be the deceased’s great grandchild. Some of the relatives snidely said “sure the old lady is now being kind and sweet”, whereas, she was often thought of as a bit sour. There is a saying that “love is when another person’s needs are as important as your own.” In this case, Sour Aunt Ethel knew her granddaughter needed her and she had so much love for this child; she knew what she had to do. Her prayers she thought by praying and ‘talking to her own mom’ would help to cure the child and this was her mission in life that day

The family was quite impressed with Aunt Ethel now and looked upon her as a kinder, thoughtful and more believable person.

When Mom and I would visit her after this ‘miracle’ had happened, we both noted her different personality. She seemed interested in me as a child, who was a few months younger than Elaine.

We went to see Cousin Elaine and watched her progress and everything was fine now in her life. She was aware that her grandmother had done this for her and though she loved her a lot before, now she was completely adoring and grateful to her.

If there is a theme or moral to this story, perhaps it can be when someone else’s needs are put before your own needs, perhaps something occurs which  also is rewarding and loving to you and believing that something you do or say or pray for can happen, is half way being there. Aunt Ethel made this innocent trip to the resting place of her mom and begged for help for the needs of this child. In return, she had the healing happen or so she believed happened from the visit. She then had her own heart healed in the process.

Take what you want from this true story; believe what you want and most of all remember your choices can make you smarter, kinder, more loving and even help someone else in the process. Elaine grew up into a fine young lady and never forgot her beloved grandmother. I heard when she had a child of her own many years later and Ethel was gone; that she named her own daughter after this beloved old lady in remembrance of those days, so long ago and of the love that was hers from her grandmother.