Stories Of London

-oOo-

My mother worked from the time she was about six years old! Imagine that! Her earliest jobs outside the home were cleaning houses. Naturally no one thought to give her anything to kneel on to protect her knees , which resulted in her having no kneecaps! This caused her some pain with walking as she aged.

-oOo-

The knee joint is protected and aided by the Patella, a triangular bone and is the largest Sesamoid Bone (i.e., embedded within a tendon or a muscle) in the body. Babies are born with a Patella of soft Cartilage which begins to Ossify into bone at about four years of age.  My mother’s Patellae were worn away from kneeling and their loss left her with walking and standing difficulties in her later life since they aided the leg bones and muscles in these activities.

Later in life,  when my mother was in hospital to repair a detached Retina (caused during Cataract  Surgery), my mother became the focal point of interest of hordes of medical students as their Attendings wanted them to examine her knees and take note since the condition is rarely seen today.

My mother worked wherever she could and had a multitudes of jobs. However, the most important job to her was when she was hired to take care of Bubbe & Zayda, an old Jewish couple that she met when they were all trying cross Valence Road in Bethnal Green. The old couple were having problems trying to cross the road, since there were no traffic lights installed at the time.  Apparently my mother asked them if she could help them cross the street.  When they said yes, he stepped in between the couple and guided them across the street. Once across the road, the man asked my mother if she would be interested in coming each day to their home and taking care of them. My mother was overjoyed at the prospect and so began a relationship that all three cherished.

gO TO tALE 4

RETURN TO TALE 2