David's story - 1965

During 1965, I was a radio operator at a very remote location with the United States Air Force. It was long before frequent contact with family members through e-mail and modern telephone communication.

During the summer, while I was operating our radio system, I received a call saying "…tell Airman Larkin his son is dead." I was Airman Larkin, and the son the radio call was referring to was two year old David. The message said he had spinal meningitis and if he was not dead yet, he soon would be because of the very low survival rate.

Due to our location and the limited means of communication in 1965, I went through a fairly complex series of military connections covering about a week before I was able to reach Seattle and learn David's fate.

Thanks to Children's Hospital, the story has a wonderful outcome. David was rushed to Children's where he not only survived, but went on to grow into a life of helping others in need. David is now in his 40's, a Chief with the U.S. Coast Guard reserve and a critical care registered nurse in the Seattle area.

Thank you for your wonderful service to the community.