Conversation so far:
what happened during Tennessee Williams' childhood?
As a young child Tennessee Williams nearly died from a case of diphtheria.
what happened when Tennessee Williams got diphtheria?
The case of diphtheria left Tennessee Williams weak and virtually confined to his house during a period of recuperation that lasted a year.

Question: once he got better, what did he do?
Self-contained rewrite: Once Tennessee Williams got better from diphtheria, what did he do?