"STREET SMART" #3 CONT'D

    After Allan's miraculous recovery, he decided to move back to Canada to be near his siblings.
I need to say in Allan's defense at this point, that Canada was still in the midst of their recession that they had been in for twenty years. In fact they were in it for so long, a whole generation of Canadians grew up in it and sufficient, decent jobs were virtually non-existent. Although Canada's dollar is above our's right now, it was below the U.S. dollar for 25 years or more!
    Allan eventually did find work in a very intensive ocupation and dangerous as well. He, along with a couple of other acquaintances went to work in the Alberta oil fields as roughnecks and managed to survive for several years before that work also slowed down. During that time, Allan became a man.
    But after being used to good pay, it was hard to accept dishwashing type jobs and Allan started having brushes with the law. Everything went downhill after spending a considerable amount of time in jail and being alienated from his friends, Allan only became more despondent to the point where he needed help to get out of his mess. No one realized it at the time, but Allan's mental condition was deteriorating due to his brain injury 21 years prior. He was having silent epaleptic seizures from a tumor that we later determined was started by the injury when he was 17 years old. In desperation, he had no place to go and resorted to living by himself off in the woods in a shack with no electricity.
       Finally, in 1996, his sister Alana got word of the way he was living, and after talking to him, called me in Everett, Washington. After hearing about it, I brought him here with me where I put him to work in my mobile home business. We legally got him his Social Security card and he lived with me.
    Approximately a year later, Allan began to point out his nervous vibrations that were coming and going with more frequency. It was all a part of the brain tumor increasing but no connection to it had yet been made. I finally convinced him to see a neurologist.
   It was confirmed that Allan had a brain tumor 2"X4" growing on the right side of his brain. It was estimated to have been there for a very long time. After telling the surgeon about Allan's motorcycle
accident, he was sure it started way back then.
   An operation was scheduled immediately and a good portion was removed, but we were advised it would grow back over time. There was no option of a second operation.
   Allan took the news very calmly,but I didn't. After being told he had only a few years at the most to
live, I broke down. Allan sat with me and putting his arm around me said,  " I'm not afraid, Dad, You don't be either. It's just a little spooky, that's all." I cried anyway.
   After that, Allan decided to leave our home in Mt. Vernon where we had moved a year before.
   With the strength of my Social security and Allan qualifying for medicaid, we managed to get him a social security check that he could live off of while away from home. He had a place to stay with some friends and could still do some work with them once in a while.
   However, his friends moved away a short time later and Allan, being too proud to move home because I had gotten remarried, insisted he could get by. In order for Allan to get his Social Security check he had to permit it being mailed to him at my address, and I would deliver his money to him every month. I always told him he could come back home, but he insisted he was doing fine and wanted to be among his other homeless friends, whom he always issued money to as soon as he thought I couldn't see.  After three or four days, it was gone, when it could have lasted a lot longer, but that wasn't Allan. He believed in sharing, and made sure every Sunday, he found a church of one kind or another to attend. It didn't matter to him what denomination it was, as long as he could be there to sing along with the choir, who, appreciated his nice voice and always complimented him on it.
  They always allowed him to find shelter in times of bad weather, as well. He was never turned away.
   He never lost his faith in God because of this. He felt as I do today, that religion didn't matter, but God did!! His feelings were, again as mine are, that God could never be that narrow minded that he would favor one believer over another, as long as we all believed in him.
   Allan's goodwill made him a target by the many dishonest, homeless people who exist out there. Many of whom have no conscience for what they do to survive.
   He would often create his own shelter to live  in temporarily, and then invite other street people in out of the cold to spend the night. They in turn, before leaving, would sometimes steal some of his stuff, including sleeping bags etc. Several times he was robbed at knife point for his money, I.D. and other miscellaneous valuables, such as a watch I had replaced for him several times. Even clothing he needed to stay warm when it did get cold.
    I would then help him re-apply for the documents that had been stolen, since I had his immigration info at home with me, and other papers that allowed him to renew the stolen stuff.
 







neurologist

"STREET SMART" AND WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT?

    I recently read where an acquaintance wrote that, he was not only "Book smart", but also "Street smart". Not knowing his background very well, I'll certainly give him the benefit of the doubt but it started me thinking, what really is street smart? This is because I had a late son whom I considered to be "Street smart", since he lived on the streets by choice for the last 12 years of his life.
    I'll give a short rundown of his life before he did that.
    My son was born Allan Dale McNaughton in Calgary, Alberta Canada, on Aug. 11th, 1959. He was a baby that cried a lot as though something was hurting him, but we were'nt able to determine what it was. Doctors could'nt either. The cause was never found, but it was obvious there was pain.
    At the age of 6 months, he became deathly ill with double bronchial pneumonia and, as he was receiving treatment in the Creston, B.C. hospital, contracted staff of the lungs as well. He went into a coma and we were told by the doctor there was little hope for his survival. However, I was approached by the doctor shortly after that announcement, at which time he explained to me there was a new drug developed that was successful, but had not been used on infants under the age of 8 years. We felt there was nothing to lose under the circumstances, and  agreed to it's use.
    The next day as I was sitting by his bedside, when he  awoke, looked over at me and gave me the smile of my lifetime. It was as if to say," I'm gonna make it, Dad"! I hollered excitedly to the nurse walking by, and soon the whole floor was cheering. It was one of the happiest days of my life!.
    He was soon better and Allan went on to live a normal life as a child. The painful crying was gone.
    After 5 tumultuous  years we had amassed together 4 children, Daniel Francis, the eldest, Allan, Leslie Kim and Alana. My wife and I separated at this point with her having custody of the children.
    After 4 years of being away, I returned to eventually get divorced, and received full custody of my children.
    At this point in time, we moved to live in Fernie B.C. Canada. The kids all did fine in school with the exception of Allan who had a difficult time getting along with some of the teachers and other students. Allan made it to grade 10 and decided to strike out on his own. Although he thought he was ready for the world, it seems the world wasn't ready for Allan. His problem of getting along with others remained with him throughout the years. He yearned for friends but couldn't make the friendships last. and his life was continually sad.Allan's ability to make friends and keep them was difficult. I realized this, and made it a point to favor him in family affairs, at times. I loved him then, and still love him as if he were still here with me. Throughout his life, he reached out to his siblings and myself occasionally, sometimes for love, sometimes for understanding and sometimes just to be recognized that he was still part of the "pecking order" in the family.