October will soon be over, and we have put the clocks back. That should have brought two more birthdays because my brother (pictured) and I were both born in this month, but, tragically, he only made it to 36. Even his children have now lived longer, and I have been here over twice that, despite what the oncologists keep telling me.
He would have been 70 this month. There was quite a gap between us. The explanation, according to my mum, was that she had a miscarriage two or three years after I was born. I don’t know whether it makes medical sense or not, or how she knew, but she said it was due to rhesus incompatibility. Mum had an uncommon blood group that sensitized her to mine, which caused future pregnancies of the wrong type to miscarry.
My dad expanded the story many years later. It happened when we were on holiday in a caravan at Primrose Valley, Filey, on the Yorkshire coast. I don’t know how she dealt with the foetus, but she said she could tell it was a baby girl. I believe she spent a day resting in the caravan and then continued the holiday. No tests, no doctors, no hospitals.
So sorry that you lost your brother so long ago. That's an amazing story about your parents that just shows the resilience of the generation.
ReplyDeleteI cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like for your mother.
ReplyDeleteSuch strength of character.
Your poor mother.
ReplyDeleteWhat a dreadful thing for your mum to have to deal with. A sad story from your family’s past.
ReplyDeleteSturdy woman your mother. She might have been told about rhesus factor when she conceived your brother - I'm not sure when medical science worked out how to prevent such miscarriages but my first boyfriend was born early because his mum was rhesus negative and she went on to later carry to full term a younger sister for him.
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