Landgraf-Klein genealogie » Eva Mae Becker (1922-1995)

Persoonlijke gegevens Eva Mae Becker 

• Zij is geboren op 2 december 1922 in New York, New York, New York, Verenigde Staten.Bronnen 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
• Beroep: Ballarina.
• Kaste: famous person.
• Fysieke beschrijving: 5'1", dark hair, blue eyes, average build.
• (Find A Grave Number) : 1031894.
• (Verwandschaft) : 4th cousin 1x removed.
• Zij is overleden op 13 december 1995 in Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho, USA, zij was toen 73 jaar oud.Bronnen 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

  Age: 73

  Oorzaak: stroke

• Zij is begraven op 28 december 1995 in San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.Bronnen 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9
• Een kind van Karl Frederick Becker en Evelyn "Eva" M. Burns

Gezin van Eva Mae Becker

Zij is getrouwd met Granville Lee Newman.

Zij zijn getrouwd op 27 juni 1953 te Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA, zij was toen 30 jaar oud.Bron 1

Kind(eren):

1. (Niet openbaar)
2. (Niet openbaar)
3. (Niet openbaar)

Notities over Eva Mae Becker

The Story of My Experience With Partial-Paralysis
By Eva Mae Becker

I was born December 2, 1922 in New York City, one of twins, incubator baby and my twin brother died two weeks after birth. My mother died a month later. A retired nurse cared me for for eight months, resulting in me being malnourished. She was dismissed and I was then sent to Chicago, IL to be cared for by my Aunt Lisette Becker Heyn. I became quite chunky afterward, but thinned considerably by the time I was six and had my tonsils and adenoids removed. Being quite thin, I was introduced to ballet lessons, which proved to be of great help in filling me out.

I had all the childhood diseases, except mumps and scarlet fever. I had pneumonia at age nine (with which I almost died) due to no antibiotics in those years. At age 13 I had my adenoids removed again. I also had a tendon severed in my foot, which healed quickly, and found me back at the ballet studio in no time.

During childhood year I remember jumping from a garage roof and feeling a sting from my feet, all the way to my neck! I also remember falling flat on my back after being yanked from a swing and couldn’t breathe. I remember an excited adult massaging my back until I recovered. During my early 20’s I jumped from a street car with 4” high heels and felt a tingling in both legs and up my spine.

December 2, 1943, I turned 21 and remember it being the last time I danced out. For the first time in my young life I didn’t feel much like dancing that night, and for no reason, which seemed very strange, as I just lived to dance! I did a fiery Spanish dance with castanets and heel-toe rhythms. I took my aggravation out on the dance and really stomped my feet, then had to do an encore.

I had osteomyelitis in my little finger, which eventually required surgery to scrape away the bone that had been eaten away. I also had an emergency appendectomy in my early 20’s.

Two weeks after my 22nd birthday (mid-December 1944) I experienced what I believe to have been the first sign of my paralysis. I walked three blocks in the snow to a wedding reception. I had high heels on and was walking with friends at a swift pace when suddenly I collapsed with no warning! Fortunately, we were at our destination. As soon as I hit the warm room, my strength returned and I was fine again. I danced and had a good time and forgot all about the incident --- until it was time to leave. Fear seized me, so a friend who lived close by gave me her low-healed shoes to wear home. It was the one and only time my legs suddenly gave out.

During the early part of 1944 when I was on long walks or hikes with friends (which I loved) I would notice a tiredness after awhile. I always had an abundance of energy and it just seemed strange that I would feel this way, which was normal for most people. I spent 3-4 times or more a week at the ballet studio preparing my dances and teaching at night. Where my enthusiasm was always so great, it gradually began to wane, almost like a lazy feeling, which had my dancing teacher extremely upset with me.

I wore low-healed slippers for my Spanish dancing, but when I put on my toe slippers, I noticed I had to use effort to rise up, and my ankles seemed weak. It was so gradual that it took awhile to dawn on me that something had to be wrong! I had a talk with my family doctor who sent me to a neurologist, Dr. Abraham Low, low sent me to an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ferdinand Seidler. X-rays revealed that I had a slight defect in my right foot (the same foot that had the tendon severed but never bothered me). Dr. Seidler decided this might be the culprit and suggested surgery, which was extremely upsetting to me. This happened on September 2, “VJ Day”. I remember crying all the way home for two reasons: The boys I had known who were killed in the war, and for myself, saying I would just died if I couldn’t dance! Yet, this was a time I thought I would completely recover after awhile. I was operated on in October of 1945.

Early in 1946 the doctor noticed I wasn’t healing as I should, which aroused his suspicions, so a spinal tap was taken at St. Luke’s Hospital, resulting in excruciating pain later. Our family doctor (and family friend) was quite upset over the fact that I was released much too early, and he also felt that they didn’t need to take as much spinal fluid as they did. I was in sheer agony! The finding from this spinal tap was the suspicion that I might have Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease. I walked with a limp - only due to pain in my foot, I thought. I could walk for blocks with no problem. I didn’t feel any weakness at the time, just the limp from my foot not healing properly.

In the fall of 1946, Dr. Low suggested that I get away from Chicago for the winter, so during the Christmas holidays I left for Los Angeles to stay with friends. My first complete day in California was New Year’s Day, 1947.

After a few weeks out in California I started going to White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles where I had various tests take. Still, despite my letter from St. Luke’s suggesting that I had Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, my doctors were in controversy.

After while the pain subsided and I began to fully realize that I actually didn’t have normal function. Surprisingly, this didn’t upset me quite as much as when people would tell me I would dance again if only I would put my mind to it. I really tried for awhile, trying to prove everyone was wrong. It was explained to me by a very understanding compassionate doctor one day, that my mind had nothing to do with it - the motor nerves were dying. I was then thought that I had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gerhig’s Disease) and I was given only two years to live. Fortunately, the paralysis only seemed to go so far - an arrested case of something.

I was put in braces and had Kenny sticks for a while, until I realized I could get along without them. I only used the crutches when I knew I would be walking for many blocks and in crowds. I have drop feet and partial paralysis in my back, and I became a “balance walker” as one doctor put it. I was able to do just about everything except run and dance. My health was excellent. As one doctor put it, “You are disgustingly healthy for someone who has something wrong!”

I adjusted exceedingly well to the amazement of the doctors and all who knew me. It was just another form of discipline and I was old enough to realize my battle would be more mental than physical, so kept actively interested in things, especially people. I went back to school, joined organizations and finally took on a full time job, as I had an abundance of energy. A bit of wisdom taught to me as a child really reaped its rewards in later life. “Learn to entertain yourself --- don’t expect others to entertain you!” During my “transitional period”, I applied this philosophy by doing portrait work while listening to the great classics. All was not lost!

I made it point to continue to associate with active people such as girls from the water ballet, a skin diving club, etc., and just led a perfectly normal life. I married at age 30 and had three beautiful, healthy, normal babies.

Om the midst of my full life I was suggested that after not seeing any doctor in regard to my paralysis since 1951 - a 20-year span, I should, by rights, have myself checked again since doctors had never come to a final conclusion as to what I had. I wasn’t the least bit interested until it was suggested it might be hereditary….shock! I was terribly shaken up at the thought and immediately went into action. I contacted the MDAA of Alameda County headed by Dr. Hans Zwang, who put me through various tests, including biopsies. He biopsied the calf of one leg, the thigh of the other, below the thumb (normal muscle) and the shoulder. Dr. Zwang told me that so much deterioration had taken place, where the muscle had turned to fat, it was difficult to even find some muscle to test! However, he concluded that it looked like it might be Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, known as “Perennial Muscular Atrophy”. He didn’t seem to feel as though there was much to be concerned about, and was sorry he worried me so much. I finally relaxed!

Heeft u aanvullingen, correcties of vragen met betrekking tot Eva Mae Becker?
De auteur van deze publicatie hoort het graag van u!

Tijdbalk Eva Mae Becker

Klik op de namen voor meer informatie. Gebruikte symbolen:  grootouders    ouders    broers/zussen    kinderen