Horst Happenings....: A Few Memories From Hillcrest

Sunday, May 04, 2008

A Few Memories From Hillcrest

This may seem like a funny thing to say but, I have a lot of memories of Hillcrest Hospital, A.K.A. Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, in Waco, TX. The first thing I want to share is not a memory though. It is a statement from some very reliable sources, "Barry, you were born at Hillcrest Hospital!" Now I don't remember this because I was much too young at the time of my birth, but as I said, many people that should know have told me this many times in the past.

My first memories of the hospital do not really occur until I was in the 7th grade at North Junior. My family had just moved 2 blocks away from the hospital. Often times ambulances would fly by our house heading north on 30th Street with sirens wailing. Boy, for a 12 year old guy in the 60's that was really neat. I would run out of the house when I heard them just so I could see them race by, not really realizing that there may be a battle between life and death taking place inside the ambulance. After it went by I went back to my own little world not thinking of what may be taking place in the nearby Emergency Room.

Then one day I rode my bike to a nearby convenience store. The store was just across the street from our local A&P Grocery. At the time the store was named Milky Way Food Stores, then it changed to Zippy Foods. It later changed again and eventually closed. In order to go to the store I generally rode my bike in front of the hospital and down the street to the corner where the store was located. I can't remember what I bought anymore because the trip home was much more memorable. While on my bike riding home I was zig-zagging in front of the hospital. Now I know why they told us kids not to zig-zag on our bikes. I fell and smashed my chin on the pavement. An elderly man was in his yard and asked if I was OK. I told him I was and started home. I didn't realize I had sliced my chin open when I hit the ground until I got to the end of the block. I then held my hand under my chin to catch the blood and would then sling to the side to get rid of it. When I got home my brother took me to the hospital emergency room. At the time it was upstairs. We had to ride the elevator up to the waiting room and wait for my stitches.

When I was a little older I got a little bolder. I would occasionally ride my bike to the hospital and watch them unload the ambulances. I did this one day and watched as they took one of my cousins out of the ambulance. He had been in a wreck but soon recovered. I didn't go to the hospital to watch this anymore.

I went to the hospital to visit people a lot. The younger brother of a friend of my sister was involved in a motorcycle wreck. He was headed back to The University of Texas when someone pulled out in front of him. He was not doing well and was in the hospital for many months. I remember going to visit him often. His room had a stereo in it and I thought it was great. I would sneak in one of the back stairways to visit him after visiting hours. This was before better security and more lenient visiting schedules.

I even visited my brother in the hospital once. He had to have a hernia operation. He was in junior college at the time but the only room they had was in the children's ward. It was funny to see him there.

My mother told me that many of the injured and dying from the failed raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco were brought to Hillcrest Hospital. She said there were ambulances and helicopters coming and going at the time. I remember that Chris and I came to Waco shortly after this had occurred and we saw helicopters circling the hospital. I can only assume that they were police helicopters that were running security for the hospital due to the nature of the emergency. If we only knew all that went on I am sure we would be amazed.

While some of the memories are, well memorable; there are some that are much less so but still a part of me. This is the hospital where I saw my father fight cancer. It is also the hospital where I was with my father in the last moments of his struggle to overcome. He lost the fight but won the war when he went home to be with the Lord on that particular day. This is also the hospital where my mother fought many of her battles with cancer. She too lost the fight but overcame the war when she went home to be with the Lord.

In the past for various reasons I have had to visit Chris' parents. These were not good times either. I have been to the hospital to visit newborns. Now that is always an enjoyable visit. And, I have even been there to visit students from my pre-kindergarten class that had to be hospitalized for one reason or another.

Why all the memories? Hillcrest Hospital is building and will be moving to a new location sometime next year. They are leaving their north Waco location that gave them there name some 80+ years ago. You see, they were located on a hill, the highest in the area. They are relocating to IH 35 and State Hwy. 6 in Legend's Crossing. They will keep this location open and use it for more long term care and other needs.