Tragedy Strikes a Young Couple
by Jerry Whitlow
My parents met in the late 1940s and married October 17, 1952. Little did they realize what would be in store for them in the following years. Excitement, joy, and the typical married life for a young couple seemed to be their way of living. April 30, 1955, they were blessed with their first child, a healthy baby boy, James Douglas Whitlow, Jr. Dad was working for Bassett Industries, and Mom was taking care of this little bundle of joy.
July 26, 1957, they were once again blessed with a child, Debra Gale. Life seemed to be going well after only five years of marriage. Dad was working hard, mom was taking care of the children, and they had both a little boy and a little girl. However, my parents could not have imagined what they would face in the coming months.
When my sister Debra was two years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia. My family was about to face a major tragedy. At that time, leukemia was an automatic death sentence, and the doctor said she had less than twelve months to live.
Mom would spend many weeks with Debra at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Dad would work during the week and travel to be with them on the weekends. My grandmothers would take turns keeping my brother, and Mom would go home on weekends just long enough to wash clothes and get a good bath. Keep in mind, the hospital was two and a half hours from their home.
While at the hospital, nurses would bring Mom breakfast. Later in the day she would take the bus to a local restaurant for dinner. Two meals a day and sitting by my sister’s bedside was the usual day for Mom. Hospital visits, doctor appointments and, at times, lengthy hospital stays continued for eleven months. It was a trying time for this little family.