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Show Feature SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY MARCH 24. 1999 Salt Lake. There is something By Barbara Pyles Ina, Corns and Leile. Writers note I thought readLife was good, until . . . one day seriously wrong. ers might enjoy reading about as Sue and her children were I love you, the young mother Susan Ellen Hamblin. She over- waiting for gas in front of the said to her children as Charles came many obstacles in her life Bowman Garage, she notire d a and Dr. Norris lifted her onto a in order to provide a good home car rolling toward a deep hole stretcher and into a friends car. for her family, and she always used for underground gas tanks. They drove to Lund to meet the appreciated the littlest things. A young mother had left her car train. (In those days there was In writing this article, I came to without setting the brake. Sue no such thing as an ambulance love Sue for her determination, immediately jumped from her in Southern Utah.) When they her style and her spirit Thanks vehicle and ran toward the roll- reached the train station, sevto Beth Martin who shared this ing car. Sue hit her knee hard as eral men tried to lift the she jumped inside the car and stretcher, with her on it, through family history with me. applied the brake. She saved the the train window. It wouldnt More than one hundred years children from injury or death, fit, so they pulled it out again. ago, back in the days when Kanab but life was never the same again Somehow the men got her onto was a tiny town, a very special for Sue or her family. the train. In her own words, the child was bom. Her parents, One day when she was carry- trip to Salt Lake City was a William Frederick Hamblin and ing bottles down, to the base- nightmare! his second wife Sina Cecelia ment, her knee gave way. Sue Sues family had rallied " Averett, named their daughter fell down and skinned her elbow around them when Charles took after his first wife, Susan Ellen and tore the cartilage loose in her to Salt Lake. Her sister. her right knee. She never walked Mavis, and her husband Doug Hamblin, who had died. One Christmas morning Sue again without crutches. Charlie Martineau stayed in her home danced near an open fireplace, took his wife to Panguitch, but and looked after the children. and her nightgown caught fire. the doctor wouldnt put her leg (Family History). When they arrived at Holy Although her mother beat out in a casi. Instead he sent her the flames, Sue was badly home. Use hot packs, he said. Cross Hospital, a nurse took Sue burned. Her father scooped his Several months later, Charles to the doctors room for in took Sue to Cedar City to have Cancer, they told her. At that his daughter up arms and raced to his mothers her knee The whole time this dread disease was inhome. Grandma sprinkled cat lower leg is in a state of ossifica- curable! tail fuzz and sugar on the burns tion, said the doctor. He put a Sue wrote her mother, I took to heal them. (An old home rem- cast on her leg in a bent position. my first treatment yesterday . . is the treatment. edy). The little girl was unable Come back in three weeks, he . deep y In another letter she wrote, Anto walk for over a year, so her said. father carried her wherever she One week later when Sue was other treatment this morning . . wanted to go. walking on her crutches in the . last night the nurse left me cattleOne day her father, a kitchen, her crutch slipped on enthroned on the bed pan. I sent man with extensive holding in the linoleum floor and she stood her for cotton and she didnt real estate and cattle, took his on her foot. When her leg come back. When the night nurse own life. Sue was six. Her broth- straightened, the cast broke her came on about twenty minutes ers Bill and Glen were four and leg. Charles went for Dr. Norris. later, I was pretty much up in two. The widow turned her share The doctor got her leg on a board, the air. I greeted her with, You of her husbands estate over to then he tied the board to ropes to dirty little cuss. Then I discovher mother-in-laAn uncle was the ceiling. Sue laid with her leg ered it wasnt the nurse that had to manage the estate for the chil- on that horrible contraption for left me. Although Sue was in dren, but it seems that most of it about seven months in excruci- pain, she could still find humor in some things. went into his pocket. ating pain. DoctorsBaldwin and Osmond When Sue was 11, her mother Word spread quickly and the Ceil, as she was called, mar- small town of Kanab came to- told Sue they had to operate. ried James Niels Sorensen. A gether to help the family. But That night as Sue lay in bed daughter, Mavis, was bom on that was just the beginning of starring at nothing, she wonNovember 24, 1909. her problems. One morning dered if she would have another Sue attended Kanab Elemen- when Mrs. Dewy was massag- beginning. The doctors operated and took tary School where she played ing Sue, she decided to change the piano and the clarinet. She the cotton under Sues leg. As all the marrow out of the bone, School in she lifted the leg, it snapped. scraped it as thin as an egg shell attended College-Hig- h Cedar City, Utah in 1914-1When Dr. Norris heard what then packed it with yards of Sue had known Charles happened, he said, Take her to gauze. Greenhalgh Cram for as long as she could remember. He played Certified PPG Painters baseball, basketball and track. Certified PPG Collision Repair Center But his specialty was marching Custom Painting when Sue played the piano. All Work Guaranteed Sue and Charlie had quite a Insurance Work Welcome lively courtship. One time, at a dance, she pulled a chair out from under him sending him crashing onto the floor. On another occasion he was chasing 1580 S 40 W 89A her and she ran into a tree splitKanab, UT 84741 ting her forehead open. On a beautiful August day in Dave Little 1916, this dark-eye- d beauty married the love of her life. In Auto Used time Charlie and Sue became the parents of three daughters, X-ray- s. four-year-o- ld d. X-ra- w. Sue received many letters. One friend wrote, . . . I remember you in my prayers and feel the Lord, our Father in Heaven, has not. forgotten you and that he has blessings for you and will bring you safely through. A few weeks after the operation, Sue was back taking treatments. Dr. Baldwin kept telling Sue that he would put a cast on her leg and send her home. When the cast was put on, it was another bad ordeal. The doctors who treated Sue proved through their treatment X-ra- y hands. She canned fruit and even mopped floors. She was a example of what a handicapped person can do if they refuse to give in to their handicap." (Family History). Her daughter Corns wrote, 1 of her that cancer didnt neces- remember as a child, the times sarily have to prove fatal. Hers when everyone was cranky and bums hungry and raising a sterns was a test case and y from radium caused her grief Mom plugged along, on crutches, and pain the rest of her life, but preparing a meal and trying to make us comfortable. Hers was she survived. No one will ever know the tor- a life of service. She said her one ment this young mother endured prayer when she was hurt was while separated from her fam- that shed be able to raise her ily, not only physical but mental girls. God blessed her family in as well. A ray of hope began to answering that prayer. One of the hardest things for shine through ! The doctors told ul Sue was to realize that she could never dance again. One evening Charles took her to Hillcrest, an open air dance hall. Sitting in Just picture Christmas morn- the car, the couple listened to ing at the Hamblin house. The the music, and Sue cried her children tiptoeing into the liv- heart out. After that, she said, ing room to see if Santa had she was reconciled io the fact arrived. Along with toys, the that shes had her wings children found their mother. clipped." Sue died June 2, 1974. Her That thrilling moment made that Christmas the best one ever. daughter Corns wrote, I love Sue felt blessed to be surrounded her very much. All my life I was afraid my mother would die . . . by her wonderful family. conSomehow I weathered that loss was almost a Sues life stant story of illness and suffer- and I found that I was stronger ing but her family was not kept than I had imagined. I rememin a state of awareness of this bered her courage as her mother, fact. She ignored her handicap her sister, her brothers and my and refused to be treated as a sweet dad had died and I thought cripple . "It took years for her leg She did it! You can too! Shes to mend to the point that she gone but she set the pattern and could walk on crutches again. she showed us the way and I still She made quilts and stitched miss her every day and think them on a treadle sewing ma- how blessed I am to have been chine to strengthen her "'good her daughter. her she could go home if Charles e could secure a nurse for her. He did and they were expected home for Christmas. full-tim- P Subtract line 6 from line 5 of line 2 or line 7 P Enter the smaller Subtract line 3 from line 8 Add the amounts from line 12 of all Forms 4684 P Enter 10 of your adjusted gross income P Subtract line 17 from line 16. Also enter results on Schedule A - Dave s Auto Body Recycling U'm-derf- X-ra- 5. 435-644-22- leg" so that she could attempt to walk again. She managed her home from her bed but eventually she started venturing forth on crutches. Sue did all the cooking and much of the housework on crutches until the girls were old enough to take part of it off her (Form 1040), line 19 Prevent Hair Loss. 178 South 100 East 30 Kanab, UT 84741 Auto Parts 435-844-20- 71 ES3BSffi3 ' |