Evening star., 1954-06-10
By John McKelwoy

What makes a man, the father
of three children and the operas
tor of a going business dowtown.
spend what free time he has in
the frustrating job Of trying to
sell something most people are
not particularly interested in?
His product is better treatment
of epileptics-a type of treat
ment people could afford and
find close at hand. This man and
others are appealing for interest,
at least right now. more than
anything else. Raising money
will come later.
It is not an easy job, this
selling" The father feels keenly
the stigma placed on epileptics.
He is afraid to have his name
in a newspaper along with the
fact that his daughter is an epi-
leptic. He is sure business would
fall off.
And as the father, an Arling-
ton resident, explains, he can't
take the chance of losing busi-
ness-mainly because of the ex-
penSe of raising his two boys,
and seeing that his daughter,
the epileptic. gets the best treat
ment available at the price he
can afford.
Il can't save anything" he
says. There's no nest egg for
my family"
Works Instead of BrOOdS.
The father is not morose or
bitter about his situation.
Rather, he is working toward
making the lot of the epileptic
and the epileptic's family some
what better. He knows too well
what a family goes through
when a mother and father halt
ingly and fearfully begin to real
ize their child lis not like others.
In 1945, the father relates, the
third child came into his family.
She was a sturdy, beautiful
child" he said. And he admits
that despite his two. boys, there
was. something little especial
about having a daughter.
1t was after the first year that
the parents began to spot slight
gestures or have, vague feelings
that perhaps their daughter was
not learning as quickly as other
children.
For one thing, when she could
walk, she would wander Off
sometimes into busy streets and
Tor no particular reason. The
little girl began to require con-
slant attention.
Brothers Her Companions.
Other children in the neigh
borhood sensed something about
her. She had no playmates. It
was only in her two brothers
that she found companionship.
At that, it was a chore the two
boys had" to do. They watched
their sister while the sounds of
other boys at play reached their
ears.
Then it was noticed. The
mother of the child saw her
daughter gazing off into space.
1t was over in f1eeting moment.
Afterward, her daughter seemed
l1stleSS, worn out.
A pediattician guessed at it.
He said there was chance she
was an epileptic as well as
mentally retarded.
The diagnosis was verified
months later - at heavy cost.
The parents learned about cpl
lepsy, saw doctors, joined epilep-
tic organizations.
1ney nad TO buy another car
to take the child to local epi-
leptic school every day. And
when she was home, there was
always the constant watching
which had to be done-either
by two growing boys, or a moth
er with a meal ahead, or by a
tired father. The child didn't
understand discipline. These
things were done until the limit
was reached.
To Special School.
A hospital-school was finally
located near Baltimore, in the
family'S price range and the
child enrolled. The two boys
went out to play and the school
began to treat the child and