I am 36 years old and had encephalitis back in 1966 at the age of 2. My older brother and sister had just recovered from the mumps which was how I contracted the viral encephalitis. We were living in Cape Elizabeth, Maine at the time. My Mother says that I had a 5 hour nap one day and woke up "staggering like a drunk". She knew something was really wrong when I didn't overcome the apparent drowsiness and was walking into walls and cupboards as she was preparing dinner. She'll never forget the "interrogation" by hospital staff who thought that I might have been abused.
Finally, the doctors did a spinal tap, I was diagnosed and I spent about 3
weeks in the hospital. I, of course, have no memory of any of this. I
was always told that I had suffered from an "inflammation of the brain"
and in the first grade it was discovered that I was totally deaf in my
right ear as a result. My parents always sent a note into my schools
requesting that I be placed in the front row of the class so that I
might hear the teacher better.
My academic performance was less than acceptable in a family where
Dartmouth College degrees are revered. My parents were frustrated as
they knew that I wasn't into drugs, I had decent friends and yet they
couldn't understand my lack of motivation, poor concentration and
overall "laziness".(Especially in Algebra :o) I had the hardest time
retaining important information. I almost failed out of public
high school after 2 years and was fortunate enough to have been "shipped
off" for 3 more years to a small private prep school. I just managed to
graduate. I then took three years of college courses at my state
University and my grades were never consistent. I have always enjoyed
more creative pursuits such as painting and photography.
I am now happily married with two kids, but have always been
disappointed in my inability to complete a college degree. I like to
think that someday I might try again. It wasn't until this year that I
really started thinking about the correlation between the encephalitis,
deafness and questionable learning disabilities. You can imagine my
reaction when I discovered your web site and started to read stories from
people who describe identical symptoms and frustrations! I am thrilled
that young people today may be spared being scrutinized as a result of
this information. I intend to continue researching and learning more on
the subject. Thanks for the boost to my self-esteem! :O)
Sincerely,
