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for an operation. Grant had promised me he would be there, and he ar-
rived at the last minute. They put a mask over my face and began to
administer anesthetic gas. I had taken hold of Grants hand. As the anes-
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a drumbeat (my heart) in my ears and I saw stars. No one had prepared
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Upon attaining consciousness over three hours later with the op-
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was the remnant of the ether which had been administered to me. (Gas
was used only for a short time to put you under). My body was en-
cased in a heavy plaster cast from my armpits to my hips. My left hand
had had the skin removed from the palm. Two parallel vertical slits had
been made in the right side of my belly and then the skin and a little
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up under the skin of the belly. The skin had been sewn on my hand from
the two vertical slits. The top and bottom sides were uncut so that the
skin would retain a blood supply. Due to the cast, I was unable therefore
to do anything but lie on my back in bed for two weeks.
A few days after the operation, I was wheeled into a room where
the cast was cut on three sides above my hand and the cast was opened
like a door to permit an examination of the results of the operation. The
skin from my belly was beginning to grow where it had been sewn onto
the hand. There were a couple spots of infection, but the overall results
pleased the doctors.
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that the hand could be free. The net result was that they had success-
fully grafted the skin from my belly to cover about half the palm and
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weeks. The wound in my side slowly healed. I was able to walk around
the ward and see and talk to the other kids. Mother came to see me at
every opportunity (twice every week) but it was very lonely. Dad told
Governor Dern of my hospitalization and I received a postcard from
the Governor urging me to get well. I showed the card to the other kids
in the ward. They thought I was the biggest liar to ever come down the
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