The Gazette from Cedar Rapids, Iowa • 56

2D FAMILY FOCUS Cedar Rapids Gazette: April 29, 1979 Katie 5 at home in the hospital IT Mary Katherine "Katie" Beckett celebrated her first birthday March i 9. There were crepe paper stream-: ers, brightly wrapped presents and a big, white cake with "Happy Birth-: day, Katie" written in yellow frost-: ing. Katie squeezed the frosting be-: tween her chubby fingers, pulled at the red bows and showed all eight of her teeth when her picture was taken. The guests at her party in-: eluded a happy mom and dad, two sets of proud grandparents and a number of other relatives. Also sharing Katie's big day were three pediatricians, two surgeons, four chaplains and personnel from various departments at St.

Luke's Hospital. Katie has spent nearly nine months of her first year of life as a patient at St. Luke's Hospital. Her party was held in her cheerfully decorated room in the pediatric intensive care unit of the hospital. The Katie Beckett story began one year ago.

Serious toxemia In the sixth month of her first pregnancy, Julie Beckett, Cedar Rapids, developed a serious toxemia condition and was admitted to St. Luke's. Toxemia can be fatal to both mother and child. The best way to avoid complications from the disorder is to deliver the baby. Mark and Julie's daughter was delivered by Caesarean section.

She was three months premature and weighed only two pounds, three ounces. A pediatrician and a nurse from the neonatal intensive care unit, who were present during the delivery, immediately took the infant to the special unit. Katie was placed on a ventilator, an arterial tube was inserted into her umbilical cord to provide fluids, and nourishment was given through a tube in her stomach. When she was a little over a week old, she was taken off the ventilator. A small plastic hood supplied the oxygen she needed.

Julie Beckett said, "I was able to go home from the hospital within the week. It wasn't easy going without Katie, but Mark and I came up to be with her as often as possible. The nurses were so good about letting me do things for her. They understood how important it was that Katie knew her mom and dad." Gaining weight Katie progressed very well. At the end of seven weeks, she was able to suck a nipple without overtiring.

In the weeks that followed, she was able to maintain her body heat, keep a steady heartbeat and breathe on her own. She was gaining weight consistently. May 5, 1978, almost two months Julie Beckett, Cedar Rapids, holds her year-old daughter, Katie, who has been a patient at St. Luke's Hospital for almost nine months of her short life. The apparatus attached to Katie's throat is a respirator.

lowed the feeding apparatus to be placed directly into her stomach. Katie survived the paralysis but not without some serious after effects. The muscles around Katie's lungs were weakened, also the nerve that stimulates natural breathing was not responding. Her left shoulder was affected, so was her ability to swallow. Katie presently is showing gradual improvement.

"She can smile," her mother said, beaming. "Just to see that beautiful smile is worth all we've been through." Tremendous support The Becketts continue to have tremendous support from their families and friends. Katie's paternal grandparents visit her every day. Katie's father was to begin a pre-engineering course at Kirkwood Community College when his daughter became ill. Julie commented: "We had to think about our future, about Katie's future.

Mark went back to school. He has worked very hard and will be transferring to the University of Iowa this fall." Julie is a graduate of Clarke College and received a master's degree from the University of Dayton, Ohio. She teaches American studies part time at Regis High School. She also subtitute teaches whenever possible and works evenings at a record shop. "I also spend as much time as I can every day with Katie, and I go to church.

I pray so hard, and so far, all my prayers have been answered." The pediatricians and other specialists involved in Katie's case feel that the next six months will determine much about Katie's future. For now, the primary concern is to keep her free from illness until her lungs have had a chance to regain muscle control. Hospital personnel Katie is a one-to-one patient, which means she has a nurse with her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other hospital personnel also are involved with her care and comfort. Respiratory therapists visit Katie every two hours, day and night, and are with her for at least 30 minutes.

Physical therapists exercise Katie and are assisting in developing head control. In the last few weeks, they have been working with her on her desire to crawl. Occupational therapists pay special attention to her sucking reflex, the dietitian is constantly monitoring Katie's diet and recreation personnel decorate her room and provide her with stimulation through toys and learning objects. Chaplain Don Murdoch visits Katie and her parents almost daily. On her birthday, Katie weighed almost 19 She holds and shakes a rattle, giggles at her mobile, unties her shoes and winks to get attention.

She shakes her head "no" in response to the word and likes to watch TV. Because of her trachea, Katie cannot make sounds, but she expresses her emotions very well with her smile and, on occasion, a silent cry. "Mark and I know how much everyone at St. Luke's loves our Katie," said Julie. "So many hospital people stop me in the halls or on the elevators and ask me how Katie is doing.

We'll never forget what everyone has done for our family. "I know I should try keeping a diary of all the things that have happened," she concluded. "In fact, I would like to write a book, but I want to make sure it has a happy ending." ble, the nurse in charge started calling out orders of what had to be done for her, and in the middle of it all, she said, 'someone talk to Katie's "After a while, I could tell what was happening just by the look on the staffs faces." Surgical procedure Due to the paralysis, Katie was incapable of breathing on her own. A tube was inserted through her mouth into her trachea and she was supplied with oxygen. Eventually, a surgical procedure was used to placed the tube through her throat and into the trachea.

Nutrition is a very important factor for encephalitis patients, and in order to supply Katie with sufficient nutrition, another tube was inserted into her nose for feeding purposes. This tube was used only during Katie's feedings and then removed. This process was stressful for Katie so, as she became more responsive, a gastronomy was performed that al- after birth, Katie went home. A few days before Labor Day weekend, Julie noticed a rash on Katie's tummy. "She was running a little temperature," said her mother, "but nothing that was at all alarming.

The next day Katie was really cranky, and she seemed to jump at every little noise." Early that Sunday morning, Katie was admitted to the intensive care unit and diagnosed as having viral encephalitis. Katie stopped breathing and was placed on a respirator. She remained unresponsive for several weeks. "Those weeks were so difficult," said Julie. "The infection had affected her spinal column and she was paralyzed.

They told us that if she survived, she probably would have suffered some brain damage. "Everyone was so considerate," she continued. "They explained things and kept us informed of each change in her condition. I remember one time when Katie was in big trou HERE'S THE KIND of thing you don't often find on written police reports, but an Around the Towner heard it early last week. The story was told by an officer who'd gone out to investigate a hit-and-run accident Monday afternoon.

The driver 3f the car later was arrested and charged with drunk driving, reports said. "She was celebrating," the officer told us. "She hadn't taken a drink in three months." DIANA SCHOMMER, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jackson, Fairfax, recently spent six weeks as a stand-in for actress Shirley MacLaine during the filming of "Being There" on location in California.

Diana and her husband, Cliff, who had a role as a reporter in a group scene, are evacuees from Iran. They got their roles through a classified ad. (Diana's mother works in The Gazette's classified section.) "We were looking for land, for a van, for a whole lot of things," she says. "On Jan. 25, I saw this ad and I said, 'My God, they are casting a movie, Cliff.

We're going down there." Her husband was hired first; a casting director called Diana later, after they had gone through two other stand. ins. She says, "It seems like all stardom and glory, but it's a job and probably tougher than most jobs because the hours are never regular. Some scenes have to be shot at night. It's not the bed of roses it is cracked up to be." Mr.

and Mrs. Schommer are the parents of two sons, Cliff Jr. and Ted. OOO WHEN WILLIAM KELSEY, 1534 Bever Ave. SE, picked the neatly-folded newspaper out from under his porch one day recently it was as if his carrier had missed his mark.

But there was a difference. The paper was yellow and brittle. Closer examination showed the date to be Wednesday, July 14, 1926. And the paper was The Cedar Rapids Republican, merged with The Gazette many years ago. Apparently the carrier missed the mark nearly 53 years ago, and the paper had lain there ever since, just out of sight of the house's occupants.

The big story of the day was plans to build the El Kahir Shrine Temple, which stood for many years on A Avenue NE and in its last years served as a National Guard Armory. One of the headlines noted that the "Great Dome" would be eight stories high. Another piece of forgotten history: At the top of Page One was a note that the paper was published by Farquhar Publications, which also published the Marengo Republican, the Williamsburg Journal-Tribune, the DeWitt Observer and the Blairstown Press. OOO WHERE ARE THEY? The class reunion season is upon us and so are the requests for help in finding members. Five more classes asked this week for Around the Town readers' help, but there were a couple of requests that were just a little different than those in the past.

The Kennedy class of 1969 plans a reunion for July 21-22, with a dinner at the Longbranch Supper Club and a family picnic at Ellis Park. There are a lot of members (56) unaccounted for, so if you know the whereabouts of any of the following please telephone Ken Peckosh at 377-6046 (home) or 393-5565 (office): Paulette Husted, Patricia Merritt, Bill Baker, Linda Martin, Carolyn Fresh, Dorthea Griggs, Christine Hansen, Rodney Huff, Dick Miller, Jeanne Reinhold, Richard Merritt, Jeannie Johnson, Nan Johnson, Ron Mara, Cathy Mc-Nabb, Sue Washburn, Robin Miller, Mike Bowers, Brian Bross, Jim Feickert, Steve Kothenbutel, Joyce Parks, Jack Power, John Thompson, Lois Osburn, Kathleen Robertson, Sande Smith, Margaret Young, Darrell Satkamp, Martha Vanderwall, Sara Bonnet, Mike Schulz, Pat Tompt, Carol Snell, Rick Pitcher, Robert Dittmar, Pam Benning, Cathy Williams, Diana Anderson, William Anderson, Jackie Avis, Patricia Bailey, Phillip Bauer, Gary Birch, Jeanne Bohlen, Larry Bowers, John Berger, Linda Lewis, Linda Williams, Sue Sefren, Dan Noel, Connie Countryman, Gary Countryman, Richard Bemer, Mike Bessa and Gloria Tilson. The Jefferson High School class of 1964 has had better luck, finding all but 23. Its reunion is scheduled for Saturday, July 28, at the Roosevelt Royale Hotel. If you know the whereabouts of any of the following, you are asked to telephone JoLynne Brown Meskimen at 396-5474: Alicia Alman, Sara Bascom, Sandra Beatty, Sandra Bogue, Mike Brown, Deanna Corbin, Mike Conner, Carol Gaston, Ward Jamison, Ann Lake, Larry McNabb, Donna Meritt, Connie Miller, Donna Nauerts, Mike Robertson, Judy Shepherd, Pat Strader, Mike Taylor, Lee Tompkins, Jim Wolfe, Jim Slade, Barbe Evers and Gary Pugh.

The 1959 graduating class of Marion High School is planning a reunion for July 7 and has been unable to locate eight of its members. If you have knowledge of the whereabouts of Ron Christenson, Sandy Smith, George Snyder, Bill McGovern, Nancy Stone, Dick Luke, Steve Foster or Nancy Williams you are asked to telephone Mrs. Jim Mid-calf, 377-3993, or Mrs. Bill Nash, 377-3350. Still another request comes from the Washington High School class of 1929, which wants to locate one or two copies of the school annual, "The Cedar," for 1929.

If you have one, or know where one might be found, you are asked to telephone Richard J. Spacek, 362-6806, or Jerome Kriz, 393-6508. Finally, there is the Washington High School class of 1919, which is planning its 60th anniversary reunion for May 26 at Stouffer's Five Seasons Hotel. The class doesn't ask for help in Finding anyone, but asked that an invitation be extended for graduates from years near that one to join in the reunion. Reservations are due by May 12, and information can be obtained by telephoning Helen Sisam Grothaus, 826 Rider, Iowa City, at 337-5198, or Edna Ford Van Cleve, 1228 20th St.

SW, at 364-7649. Study examines smoking, pregnancy women and their offspring. Mrs. Meyer, who is part of a team of reseachers studying the effects of smoking on pregnant women, said the new study shows that smoking inhibits a fetus' growth and could also kill the fetus by robbing it of enough oxygen. She also said her tests showed that women who smoked frequently developed a variety of other gynecological problems during their preg-nancy that could harm the infant.

By Mary Norton BALTIMORE (UPI) Doctors have known for years that babies born to women who smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy were smaller than average, but now a study from Johns Hopkins University explains why. The new study also has found that women who smoke while they are pregnant run a greater risk than non-smokers of delivering babies who are premature or stillborn, a Hopkins researcher said last week. Mary Meyer, an associate professor of epidemiology at the university's School of Hygiene and Public Health, said doctors used to believe that smaller babies were born to smoking mothers because the habit depressed the woman's appetite. But the study found "the baby is smaller because of an effect on the pregnancy itself, not because of an effect on the mother's appetite," she said. No matter how much the mother eats, the fetus' growth will be stunted.

The study showed that the adverse effects of the mother's smoking on the infant are lessened if the mother was young and healthy. Anemic mothers who smoke are most likely to have smaller, less healthy babies. Data was collected by 10 teaching hospitals in Ontario, Canada, which tested 51,000 women and their babies. The Hopkins team then analyzed the data to determine the effect of smoking on pregnant Stop and Compare We offer i MORE for LESS at HOME 17.1 cu. ft Whirlpool NO-FROST Refrigerator power saving heater control twin crispers egg nest holds 1 6 eggs separate temp controls for refrigerator and freezer 4.73 Cu.

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