Grandmas Rock
“I never thought about these things
for a long time.” was one of the first statements Mary Carlsen said to me
(Carlsen 8 September 2008). Mary Carlsen has been through some of the most
important events in American History. From the roaring twenties, to the new
millenium, she has been surrounded by some of the best and worst times. Some of
the events were the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the crashing of the glass
Zeppelin from Germany, and World War II. During these times, caring was always
a major part of her life. From the moment she was born on June 1st,
1923, she always strived to care for anything and everything.
Born as Mary Francis Valentine, my grandmother was born at her grandmother’s house in Glendale, NY. During her birth, her mother had placenta previa (Carlsen 9/8/08). Placenta previa is when the placenta gets moved to an improper place in the body, causing the cervix to be blocked. It can cause much bleeding and maybe even death of the baby (“Mayoclinic”). According to Mary’s mother, the doctor told her that she was supposed to deliver a dead baby. The remarkable fact is that Mary is currently eighty-five years old, standing six feet tall.