Ruthie’s Story

“When my sister Ruthie was born in 1933 they had to give her a transfusion, and the procedure caused a seizure. They did an X-ray and saw a huge black spot on the top of her brain. The doctor told my mother that the baby wouldn’t live to be a year old and that the best thing to do was to place her in an institution. When Ruthie was five months old my mother took her to the Fernald State School, kissed her goodbye, and never went back.

For years my mother thought Ruthie had died. Fifty-five years later a friend of my mother’s contacted her and told her that Ruthie was still alive and was living in a home for the blind outside of Boston. My mother was stunned. We couldn’t believe it. None of us ever knew about Ruthie. After learning that Ruthie was alive my mother took a trip to Massachusetts. She found out where Ruthie was, but she couldn’t bring herself to go see her. It was too painful to her that she had abandoned this baby.

Five years later I asked her if she wanted me to go with her to Massachusetts to see Ruthie. She kind of jumped at the idea. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know how she’d feel about meeting us.

We were there for a week. She loved going shopping, so the first place we took her was to the mall. We were going down the aisles and, oh my God, it was so much fun. Ruthie could only see a little bit, but she loved the color red. She picked out a red sweater and a red blouse. When we went to the counter and checked out, she’d stop everyone we met and say, “I got this.” She’d open the bag and pull the sweater out to show them. She was so happy; it was amazing. She had perfectly picked it, you know? When I first met Ruthie I didn’t know what to expect when we took her out. I thought, “Oh my God what are people going to think? I’m not going to be embarrassed she’s my sister. I’m going to take her anywhere I want and people can just get over it.”

Ruthie died a year ago March. During the last thirteen years of her life we became real sisters. We talked on the phone, baked cookies together and went to the beach. We picnicked in the Redwood Groves and went to a hot air balloon festival. She loved going bowling, and especially liked the pink bowling shoes. She always had a big smile for everyone she met.

She couldn’t read or spell, but she knew so much about people, how to make them feel comfortable; how to make them happy. She loved magazines. She’d draw with markers on each page. “I like that,” she’d say. So exuberant. She had a boyfriend and went to dances at church. “Did you go with your boyfriend?” I’d ask her on the phone. “Yeah,” she’d say. “Did your feet hurt?” And she’d always say, “Don’t worry about that.”

Based on an interview with Ruthie’s sister, Karleen, and in memory of Ruthie herself, a MAB resident for 35 years.

Read Bob’s story