Writer bio time
Part II:
Shortly after the second surgery, I was relocated to a rehabilitation hospital in East LA on Cinqo de Mayo. At this hospital in 1955, Dr. Vernon L. Nickel developed the halo vest, a device which is still in use to immobilize the cervical spine following severe neck injury or certain types of surgery.
It was here that I was given an honorary membership in the Blood gang. Being one of the older residents in a pediatric ward of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, I would wheel myself over to newly brought in patients and ask them why they were here. Oh, I have GSWs to the chest. Nice! Another patient had fallen out of a pickup truck crossing the border and was run over by the border patrol. Some fun times.
It was here that I was able to take apart a car engine and put it back together as part of my occupational therapy. I also relearned to walk here. Also, upon discharging a fire extinguisher for fun, I found out that it is a white powdery substance that went everywhere! I had many experiences here, but one of the most fun parts was sneaking into one of the many abandoned wings of the hospital and wheeling around where all the people were kept in their iron lungs.
I was in this hospital from May 5th to November 17th. Over the July 4th weekend, I stood up for the first time and then they made me stand for long periods of time. I did NOT enjoy them. I would stand strapped into a standing table sweating like crazy wearing a sheepskin vest. Needless to say I walked out of the hospital wearing these sexy beasts.
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