Welcome To www.LupusMCTD.com

Lupus/MCTD Discussions & InformationPhotobucket => PhotobucketLupus/MCTD Awareness => Topic started by: Adminஐﻬ on May 02, 2011, 08:48:34 pm



Title: Exceprts from upcoming Autobiographical Book
Post by: Adminஐﻬ on May 02, 2011, 08:48:34 pm
Lupus Patient & 34 Yr Domestic Violence Survivor
Author of the Upcoming Autobiographical Book:
"Fighting From The Inside Out"..
A lupus patient fights the beast within her immune system and the beast at home....
[/color]



September 1976

~Boston~

 ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

 When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped away

It's more than a feeling
(More than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play
(More than a feeling)
I begin dreaming
(More than a feeling)
 ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫



October 1976

....One early day in October of 1976, I was hanging out at my high school parking lot smoking a Marlboro cigarette talking with a group of friends. I seen a blue GTO doing a smoke show with his wide tires.. his blue 66' GTO jacked up so high in the rear with the nose of the front grill was just inches from rubbing the ground.... I hear the song Boston "More Than a Feeling" blasting from an 8 track tape player.. This was my soon to be ex husband I was checking out, he had just got his car running... I liked his car.. I liked that song, I wanted to go for a ride his car...
Thus became the day we never stopped hanging around each other. We had fun together, we were friends, we loved music, cars, and driving fast. He loved to race any car with his 66' Goat.. We would go to Briggsmore Ave. about a mile or two stretch between Coffee Road and Oakdale Road. A car would pull up next us when we were at the lights at the corner of Rose Ave. One day he said "hold on!" ...we whipped that Vette's ass with his 327 engine! We got it up to 109 mph!! That was fun! To this day, I wished I could go for a ride like that! It was natural high for me... Fast cars & loud music

This began us *dating* what I called hanging out as friends. In his eyes, he was in love with me. He said he could treat me better than my ex boy friend did. I worked at Taco Bell at the time, and I would ask my future ex to give me rides to work in exchange he come back after 7:00 pm after the Manager left and I would give him free food.

One evening around 7:00 pm in the fog, he not only brought himself, but his brother and his Mother!  I was so embarrassed but thought nothing more because my future ex was my FRIEND.... And I DID promised him food in exchange for transportation to and from work. I kept my word.



November 1976...

About this time, I was sent to Continuation School for cutting class for two reasons.... One because of my future husbands schedule to take me to work at Taco Bell , we would both cut class and I gave him gas money to get me to work or we would hang out together at a city park next door to our high school... Not knowing a future unknown disease called Lupus was working at an all time high inside of me  I couldn't help my fatigue!!

It was just earlier in April of 1975 I had my first Grand Mal seizure (of unknown origin) Meaning they didn't know why I had them. But I would get sleepy...  a lot!!!! Just during the day and on some early evening hours.

But this was the time span I was also being taken to the ER at night by my Dad. I can recall one night, my Dad being on the phone talking to my Mom who was a Nurse at Memorial North hospital working the night shift. I can hear Dad from my room "she's burning up ...her cough sounds horrible, I tell ya Mary she's got to quit walking to school with her hair wet"...

I would drift back into a deep sleep and couldn't wake up. But when my Dad scooped me up in his arms and carried me out to the 1975 Toyota Corolla, I woke up as the cold air felt good to me. I'd wake up when we got myself on a gurney in the hospital...

There would be my Mom telling me "you can't wash your hair and walk to school with my hair wet anymore... your getting too sick"... I was given antibiotics to take daily along with my Phenobarbital and Dilatin to control my seizures.. I was diagnosed each ER visit as "walking Pneumonia"
 

At this time I was helping my friend (my future husband) to get his 66' GTO running. It had a transmission line problem it leaked. And something about the steering wheel, something inside of it broke. I would use my paychecks to let him buy the parts he needed, the endless transmission fluid he needed, oil, gas, hell I even bought his cigarettes too.

In exchange he was trust worthy and would do his best to get me to work on time and bring me home. Still no kissing, nothing between us but friendship and hanging out when I could. We would cruise McHenry Ave or go to the McHenry Drive in and watch movies for free because my brother in law worked at the drive in



December 1976

Christmas, it was as ALWAYS a festive time at the Patterson household! Who wouldn't want to be here with Mom cooking, her tree always decorated so pretty standing in the large window. Dad in the background singing his songs along to his albums playing on the home stereo.. Our stereo was a giant Mederterrian style wooden box piece of furniture that had multi colored lights on both sides of the stereo. It was in style at the time! It had a pull out  turn table, it had a built in 8 track tape player.Dad would sit for hours in front of this and play all his albums from Marty Robbins to Bing Crosby.Dad had a beautiful voice when he sang.

The smell of food in the kitchen.. Mom would be in there up to the gas stove, boiling her broth and turkey neck for our Noodles that she rolled out by hand every Thanksgiving and Christmas.. The house would steam up to where on a cold winter day you would have to open windows or the front door. It was a typical Norman Rockwell setting, music, parents together, wonderful food and friends gathering for a wonderful meal.

So naturally when my future ex came over this holiday I noticed he seemed to spend time talking to my Mom while I went about in the house. It was during this time I found out he really didn't have a relationship with his own Mother. (Which I will talk about later on)


My Mom thought he was a nice guy.. my Dad on the other hand always raised his one eye to any guy that came around for any of his 4 daughters. But my soon to be husband was just a friend. Till this one day in early December he had that $150 from the sale of an old truck....

He dropped me off at work one afternoon, when he returned that night he said he had went shopping. I thought was odd he only worked once a week working at Mission Linen washing their comapny trucks.But he had an old 1937 Chevy truck that he sold. He took the money from the sale of that old truck, bought what car part he needed for his 66' GTO, purchased a pair of blue overalls that he was wearing, put gas in his car, and bought some Marlboros.

After work that nigth around 7:00 pm when I got off he was there as always to pick me up.On the way home that night, I had him stop at Longs Drugs store so I could buy some Christmas gift wrap for gifts I had been purchasing with each of my paychecks...We were at the check out talking waiting our turn, he seen the chocolate covered cheeries at the check stand that sold only at Christmas. He asked me to buy them (seems like I was ALWAYS buying or giving something to this guy).. I thougtht no biggie, after all, he's the one making sure I get back & forth to work on time but he SHOULD have some of his own money left over.. he just had $150 when he dropped me off at work!

 

On the way home Boston was blaring "More Than A Feeling" on KFIV radiostation. I can't tell you if that was an AM or FM channel back then. I think it was an AM station. Seems like no matter where we went that song was playing. As we were on Fiori Ave. approaching Roseburg Ave. He stopped his GTO about 25 yards short of the stop sign. He turns down the radio and says "I'm having a good time, I don't want to take you home. How about we get married?"
I laughed and said .. "we could do it, I'm almost 18.. it would get us out of our parents homes but I think after we get married we should divorce and get our own apartments " ..

He said "Fucking A! I'll get us a place to move into"...

With that said, it was basically a yes to him that I would REALLY marry him... But I had a bigger surprise waiting on me.Seems like when he went shopping for his overalls while I was at work, he stopped by the jewelry department! He purchased for me a Promise ring, which he hid at my Moms house under my nephews clean stack of cloth diapers on the kitchen table.

I was asked to put the diapers away, when I reached for the stack of clean cloth diapers the box with the Promise ring fell out. It was just a $25 Promise Ring from Mervyn's Dept store. But still... he wasn't a boyfriend............

He was just MY friend that I felt sorry for and hung out with  .....

But now I have his ring..

Later on Ill have more than just a ring..

 


Title: Re: Exceprts from upcoming Autobiographical Book
Post by: Adminஐﻬ on October 14, 2011, 10:03:56 pm
e-booklet to be released Spring 2012 
October is National Domestic Violence Month.... CandleSmilie

© Page Contents, Layout, Graphics and Design All Copyrighted by Credited Artists and are Not Public Domain.



LupusMCTD Founder & Patient
Former Domestic Violence SURVIVOR
Kathy A. Patterson

Author of the Upcoming Memoir Book:
"Fighting From The Inside Out"..
A lupus patient fights the beast within her immune system and the beast at home....

e-Booklet filled with photos and videos of what abuse was, signs to look for,
where to turn to for help, and much more to help others like me...


For more information
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233)



"The Meaning of the Words in the Second Amendment .... "That the people have a right to freedom of speech, and of writing, and publishing their sentiments;"

PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning--any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/ or the comments made about my photo's or any other "picture" art posted on my profile. You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee(s), agent(s), student(s) or any personnel under your direction or control. The contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law
Photobucket
© 2008 LupusMCTD Foundation of America - All Rights Reserved
Est.November 11, 2005
"We Understand What You Are Going Through"™