Evening star., 1926-04-22
YOUTH, DESPERATE,
ESCAPES HOSPITAL
Albert May, IS, Fearing An
other Operation, FIees Here
From Baltimore.

Driven desperate by the Needless
suggestion Of a nurse that another
operation on his spine was impending,
l5-year-old Albert May of n Bates
street. with his body partially en-
cased In a plaster cast. escaped from
the Children's Hospital In Baltimore
Tuesday. and by catching n ride with
passing motorist on the Baltimore
pike made his way back home. He
did not reach home until last night
having spent Tuesday night here with
u friend.
Through many Of his Is years OF
life a curvature of the spine had
handicapped Albert. His memory Is
filled with poignant "reminiscences OF
operations, So when u nurse Sug'
gested that another operation might
he In store for him, just after he had
reached the Baltimore hospital. Tues
day, Albert made immediate arrange
ments to escape. He disappeared 10
minutes later and police in baltimore
were notified shortly thereafter. con
tinuing search for him until last
night, when informed by his mother
that he had returned home.
Only Hope In Baltimore.
For seven long months the boy had
awaited admission at the Children X
Hospital OF Baltimore. which was Sa i'd
To he the only one which could give
him the ma ssa ges and trea trhents in
connection with frame brace that
would mean much for his future
health
Mrs. May is widow employed at
the Hotel Hamilton. 1t was two years
ago when her sons condition made
medical attention imperative, and
Fahu oi,iu NJ IA in
ter cast, stating at the time that 1t
was only a. substitute for the more
efficient treatment that was so ex.
pensive AZ to be beyond the mea ns
of the mother.
Last Fall. however. a local woma n
who does social service work anony-
mously stumbled across the case and
went out In Washington to raise the
needed funds. Within a week she
had collected sufficient money to han
die the case efficiently.
Then there was a visit TO Johns
Hopkins. where experts took off the
cast. pronounced it entirely the
wrong thing for the case. and sug-
gested body messages with spinal
frame.brace as the proper remedy.
There followed canvass of Wash.
ington hospitals To discover where
such treatment could be given. 1t
was futile. 1t was learned later that
the Baltimore Children'S Hospital
was the only place where Albert might
have chance of regaining his bodily
vi2or through this treatment.
Long Wait Necessary.
Then came the long wait since last
FAN, with the money waiting here In
the hands of the Catholic Cha rites,
to he eXDended for the treatment
First, an epidemic at the hospital
prevented admission because of the
prevalency of children's disea ses.
Then the hospital became overcroWd-
ed. Finally the word came that AL
bert could be admitted.
Tuesday, mother and son iourneyed
20 Baltimore with the expectation that
the long fight for the boys health
was nearing the last stage Al the
hospital, however, Albert talked TO
nurse. He asked il he was tn lie
operated on.
Nine times out of ten the- On.
erate,' the nurse is reported, to have
said.
Albert was missing 10 minutes
later.
Baltimore police, notified of the
disa ppearance. searched for the boy
with instructions to handle him
carefully. since his condition is such
that he should he detained only i'm
hospital.
Albert made his way to the Balti-
more pike and thence back home.
And now the mother is wondering
whether he will be readnlitted As
surance Is given him that there will
he no opera ton