Chapter V

One of the neatest things to happen to me was to talk to my mom's tummy. Someone was in there. On July 20, 1968, my little sister was born. Kathleen Anne Ray. I got to hold her on the way home from the hospital. I was in seventh heaven. She was my pride and joy. Again, being just my mom and me, I didn't have that much of a male influence growing up. I guess I was lucky, not learning about all that macho crap. So when Katie came around, it was pretty neat.

I guess it was the summer of 1969, my mom, Katie, and me went to pick up my dad. His ship had just come back from another trip. Something was wrong, he didn't feel well and he wanted to go straight home. I figured it was just a tummy ache like I sometimes got. My dad had to have an operation before, so when he went into the hospital I didn't think too much of it.

The doctor said he had to have his gall bladder removed. It was to be a five hour operation. When they opened him up, they found he had cancer of the bial duct. The bial duct controls and regulates the release of acids to digest stomach contents. After that came a nine hour operation. He wasn't given much of a chance of coming out of the surgery, but he did.

For the next 15 months, my dad spent more time in the hospital than out of it. I rarely got to see him because there were rules about children under 12 not being allowed in the hospital. Once, about three months after his second operation, his doctor made arrangements to let me see him. It was hard to see what was once a 5 foot 10 inch, 180 pound man, now weighing 90 pounds. My dad was a Captain by now, and he was still functioning as one from his hospital bed. He was a very respected man in the Navy, especially by the men who served under him.

At 9 years old I all of a sudden had to be responsible. I used to babysit my 1 year old sister occasionally while my mom went to be with my dad in the hospital. My sister and I spent a lot of time alone together when we were young.