JAMAR GENTRY 24 Nov 1907 Jan 1984 97211 (Portland, Multnomah, OR) (none specified) 540-14-2096 Oregon
Death: 16 Sep 1951 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
IRETA BUYS 01 Apr 1898 Oct 1985 95648 (Lincoln, Placer, CA) (none specified) 565-20-5845 California
MY MOTHER-LYDIA IONA THOMANDER PETERSON
by Phyllis Peterson Barlow
(As told to me by my Aunt Ireta, my mother's sister)A true story of Lydia Isabel Edwards, my grandmother, and her little baby, Iona. Lydia was married to Edward Peter Thomander. They lived in Ephraim, San Pete County, Utah, with two little girls, Ireta, age 3 and Delilah age 11/2 years old. On August 7th 1901, they were blessed with another perfectly healthy baby girl, which they named Lydia Iona. All was well until about 5 months later she, the baby, became very ill with what was then called "brain fever." Today we know this illness as Spinal Meningitis. The doctor said she was so sick and her fever so high that she may die; but, if she lives, she may be either deaf or blind or both.
The mother had virtually no rest for several months caring for her very sick baby. The baby never moved by her self. Most of the time she was cradled and rocked in her mothers' arms. One morning Lydia's neighbor, Betsy Bierguff, came over to help her and said "Liddy you are so tired. Let me rock your baby. I promise you I'll call you if there is any change." As Betsy was rocking the baby, the baby Iona became very still, rigid and not breathing. She yelled to the mother "Liddy, your baby is dead. She is not breathing." Lydia quickly went to her baby and saw that the baby was not breathing and was dead.
In those days, the family cleaned , dressed and prepared their dead for burial. As Lydia was cleaning and dressing her baby for burial on the kitchen table, she noticed a very slight movement of her baby's chest, barely breathing. She said "Look my baby is not dead. she will not die." The rubbing during her cleaning may have stimulated her breathing. She began to breath in to her baby's mouth, just like we have learned to do today when giving mouth to mouth recitation . She kept at it for some time until her baby was breathing more regular. The mother bathed the baby Iona in warm water and continued rubbing her daughter. From then on, the baby, Lydia Iona, began the long road of recovery and she gradually started getting well. Her recovery was slow and difficult with little motor muscle control for a long time. She was not able to walk until she was about three years old. As the recovery progressed, her parents began to suspect that maybe Iona could not hear as a result of her severe illness. When Iona was about 18 months old, her father had Ireta, Iona's oldest sister hold her, while her mother stood in front of her watching for any reaction. Edward went behind his child and took a metal wash pan and banged on it very loud with a large metal spoon and made a loud startling noise. Little Iona made no reaction to the noise. Edward told his wife "Lyddy our baby is deaf." they hugged each other and cried.
When it came time to have Iona attend school, her mother enrolled her in the public school and she went there with Ireta. Because of her deafness some of the children at the school treated her rudely, pushed her down, bullied her, made her cry and in general made her life intolerable at school. When Iona came home crying, her mother found out what was going on, Lydia said "she will not go back to that school again." When she learned about a school for the deaf in Ogden, she determined that she would take her there.
At age 7 she attended the Ogden School for the Deaf. She had never spoken, making only gestures, grunts and guttural sound. Her mother had always been her life line. Her mother took her by train, to School For The Deaf, in Ogden. Going away to school proved to be a very traumatic experience for Iona. She adjusted and learned. When she came home for a visit at Christmas time, she got off the train and her whole family was there to meet her. She said to them "My name is Iona." These were the first words she had ever spoken to her family. The family was so very happy that she could talk. They hugged her and took her home. Word spread around town that Iona was home and could talk. A lot of people came to the Thomander home to hear her talk. Iona was brought into the front room and her mother gestured for her to talk. She said "My name is Iona." Everyone was all delighted and thrilled and came up to her and hugged her. After the holidays, Iona returned to the Ogden School For The Deaf to continue to learn how to talk, to sign and continue her schooling..