DOT 36 : STIMULATION

Daniel (7+ years old) 

Tuesday, November 12, 2002


“That … stupid device! 

Don’t you remember? To stimulate the fetus? That small walk-man box-thing?” Mom reminded icily. 

“I had to strap it around my belly and the sound waves were supposed to be like oh-so-good for the baby,” she mocked dramatically, rolling her eyes as memories of that supposedly deadly device flooded in.

Dad leaned forward, and said, “You have no proof.”

Jerking her head in Dad’s direction, Mom let out a scornful laugh, “No proof?” 

She did not wait for him to reply. 

“Our - Son - is - in - there ...” 

she heard herself hissing as she pointed an accusing finger to the direction of the operating theater, “having an open-brain surgery, and you - say - there - is - no - proof?” 

Her voice was high pitched.

“It proves nothing,” Dad drawled quietly. 

He continued, “Unless you can show a good number of children whose mothers were using that device have br..."

His words trailed off. 

Dad and Mom could not say the word “brain tumor” then.

“This is different,” she protested stubbornly. 

“Don’t you remember, my monitor was defective? The pace and the sound waves of the heartbeat couldn’t be controlled. It was set at maximum level the whole time. That was over - over - OVER stimulation!” 

 All tired out after Justine's 7th birthday outing at the Science Center.