Jennifer was born a beautiful little girl but did not grow well. By 15 months old she was discovered to have hydrocephalus (known then as “water on the brain”). She had an operation at 22 months with the shunt at the Children’s Hospital North Adelaide. At this stage I was visiting the hospital with her to see a neurosurgeon, a psychologist, a speech therapist and a physiotherapist.
We had to put her between broom sticks to help her learn to walk; help her to exercise, to speak by blowing cotton wool down the table for speech therapy, and strap her to the table with nylon stockings and exercise her feet and legs. She was quite severely brain damaged. Jenny underwent 4 ½ operations to lengthen her shunt or tube which was from behind the ear to the heart in those days. The ½ operation was when a valve came off behind the ear. She had a further operation to lengthen the shunt at about 10 years of age.
When she was six years old we decided to place her in Minda Home at Brighton and she has now been in there over 40 years and appears happy and content there. We are very thankful for Minda. She had to be toilet trained for Minda (a difficult job), one of her first words was Toilet and she knew what it meant. She is not able to concentrate on anything for very long, except food and cups of tea. She likes noise and music and water. She went through Minda Special School until she turned 20. Although she was not able to participate much, she loves watching and hearing others’ noise.
In her early twenties she had a hysterectomy (at my request) and Minda staff’s relief as she could not cope with her periods in a healthy and clean way. We have discovered recently she can undo her seat belt and open the car door. This is an achievement for her, but needs watching whilst travelling. Of latter years she does not come home (for years she used to return to Victor Harbor once a month). As we grow older it’s too much; however, we take her out to lunch and for a walk once a month. She always knows us, and says a few words here and there, including some we can’t understand. She needs constant watching and help in public, to guide her in crossing the streets and finding her way. 
She appears happy and the staff at Minda keep in touch with her neurosurgeon when necessary. They love her there and she knows when we are taking her “home” to Minda. She loves soft toys and is very possessive of them. She is not especially aware of celebrations or birthdays, but can and does enter into eating well. As parents, we are extremely thankful for Minda Home, and for the love and care Jennifer receives there.
When she was first operated on her life expectancy was low. Now with modern surgery she has lived to 47 – far more than was anticipated for her in the early ‘60’s. In all aspects Jennifer our daughter is our loving daughter and her two sisters love her also.
