Author: ktylerconk
I am the Team Leader for Team ProDanza. I am raising money for the ProDanza Ballet Academy in Havana, Cuba, a school founded by Laura Alonso. They have wonderful teachers and eager students, but lack the funds to buy ballet gear, office supplies and other necessary equipment for the school.
Viktoria Wilhelmina von Klencke
I have been very fortunate in my life to have met some very interesting people, and as I have become older, I am thinking back on them. I plan to write some of what I remember before I begin to forget.
The first person that has come to my mind is Victoria Wilhelmina von Klencke born von Ruperti. She was the German mother-in-law of my childhood friend Christine Pierpont von Klencke.
I met her the first morning that we stayed at Hämelschenburg in June of 1974, at a lovely breakfast set at a table in the hall of their capacious residential apartment in the castle. Each plate had a large strawberry on it.
Viktoria was obviously in charge. She was a tall, thin woman with sharp features and a commanding presence. I would soon learn from whence this came.
Also at the table were her son, Lippold, who was engaged to my old friend from Baltimore, Christine Pierpont, Peg McCarty and a 16 year old Swedish girl named Anna. Anna was at Hämelschenburg for the summer to learn German, as her father had been when he was 16. Anna was very pretty, sweet and a little bit shy.
Viktoria asked, “Hast du gut geschlafen?” We all had to answer in German, which was a stretch for Peg and me. “Ja, ich habe gut geschlafen.”
Once we had said that, we could pretty much keep our mouths closed.
Our first impression of the castle was that it looked almost feudal. They had just installed central heating, but the ornamental stoves that were previously used to heat were still in each room.
There was a moat surrounding the castle with a large pond in front, and even a dark and dank dungeon. The exterior walls in the basement were about 4’ wide, as evidenced by the window sills.
Personally, I was in awe of the place and its baroness. Viktoria even had an “egg route”. Once a week she would cross to the barn across the road and fill a basket with eggs to be delivered to various people in the surrounding villages. I went on this egg route once with Christine when she became the baroness. I believe that tradition finally went by the wayside.
She also would take a milk can, a large painted tin vessel with a swinging handle on top, to the barn for their milk.
I was very curious about Viktoria, so I asked Christine about her. She grew up in East Prussia, where her father was President in a palace called Pless.
She was named after Kaiser Wilhelm, named Viktoria Wilhelmina. It meant victory to Wilhelm.
She had married Lippold’s father Leopold in the early 1940’s before he was sent off to war. On one of his leaves she became pregnant with Lippold.
In 1990 Peg and I went to the palace in Pless with Christine, where we heard that it had become a military hospital during WWII. Viktoria returned to her former home as a nurse to the injured soldiers.
During the tour we went through an enormous bathroom with a huge bathtub, which Christine said that Leopold had loved when he was injured and recovering there. Of course, I had to take a photo to present to Viktoria.
We then went to a baroque-style church next to the palace that was hugely ornamental in a rococo style.
There was spectacular use of plaster, paint and 3 dimensional sculptural sculptures throughout. As we stood at the altar, Christine told us that Viktoria’s godfather, the aforementioned Kaiser Wilhelm, had held her there as she was baptized. I had a chill hearing that in the same spot where it took place.
Lippold’s father died in the war shortly before he was born. Viktoria took over running the castle and made sure that it was preserved for him to take it over when he came of age and his education was finished. Christine admires how she was able to do this on her own, especially since Lippold’s parents were not fans of hers.
Whenever we visited Hämelschenburg she regaled us with many stories from the history of the castle. During WWII they took in many cousins who’s properties had been taken by the armies.
After the war ended in May of 1945, some American soldiers took over the castle for a few weeks, relegating the residents to the small church on the property. This included Lippold, who was not a year old yet.
The officer in charge of the Americans told Viktoria that she should not lock anything, as the soldiers would then be tempted to break in to them. Viktoria was astonished that not a thing was stolen, and thereafter she loved Americans.
Some time after Lippold took over running the castle, the woods, fields, etc. Viktoria moved to Heidelberg where she moved in with an uncle of Lippold and his male cousins. Her relationship with the uncle is vague to me, but I heard that she did all of the cooking and housework.
The last time that we saw Viktoria was at the house in Heidelberg where she made us a delicious midday meal of Wiener Schnitzel and told us about her life in a regular house right outside the beautiful city of Heidelberg.
After lunch we piled into her VW beetle and she drove us on a beautifully narrated tour throughout Heidelberg and it’s surroundings. Both of us were terrified by her driving. As Peg says,”she drove like the aristocrat that she was. Everyone should make way.”
I felt wistful leaving her that last time, as I felt that we might not see her again. In fact, the arrangement with the uncle fell apart and Viktoria returned to the castle. She died a few years later and is buried in the family graveyard a slight walk up the hill from the back of the castle.
I actually wrote to Viktoria in her last few years asking to interview her for a book I wanted to write about a few strong women who had made it through WWII despite many obstacles.
She wrote back with a sweet message telling me that her memory was failing, so she didn’t think that it would work.
Nonetheless, I have some great memories of this amazingly strong woman and know some interesting stories about her life as an adult.
Hämelschenburg
Check-in Day
Well, I am sitting in a room with Peg and Jane waiting to get hooked up to a heparin drip. Such a looonng day, or should I say it was a long wait to be admitted. Poor P & J!
Backing up a little here. Met up with Dancy for a 4 hour lunch on Saturday! We hadn’t seen each other since we were 10 years old at Happy Hollow Camp! Her family moved to Kenya that year, and so much had transpired in both of our lives that we hardly scratched the surface.
Then I drove to Baltimore to be with old friends and my Kiwi neighbors at Susan and Conrad Graeber’s beautiful home. Look at the beautiful socks that I received, in addition to a great dinner and fun with friends.
My last day at home I had another welcome distraction when Crystal and Lori dropped by. Weather was great, so we sat on the deck. They gave a thoughtful care package to Peg and Jane for use when waiting around. They even got rice crispy treats for Peg! Of course my fave is the package of M&Ms!
Lydia drove us to NYC city today. We got there in record time. That is one efficient driver!
Since we were so early we went to a Mexican restaurant close to the hospital. Peg models her new shirt.
Peg and Jane are staying at The Edge Hotel, which is close by. Here is their view.
Another sign!
Look what is right outside my room SE Greer! The Daisy signs continue!
Nurses have been Nancy and Ancy. They are both lovely.
I plan to sleep soon. I have ear plugs and an sleep mask. Maybe I can get them to give me a pill too?
Will be rolled out for surgery about 11am tomorrow.
Pre-op Testing is Over!!
I am excited that I was released from the neurosurgery department at Johns Hopkins today, so it is a GO for next Wednesday. Talked to a lovely woman at Hopkins who said that she would contact Dr. Smith and then she texted me to let me know that she had reached him because she knew that I was feeling anxious.
I celebrated by going to La Famille with Jane and Dana for a nice lunch. Dana worked many years as a nurse, so was a great person to ask questions about the upcoming procedure.
Lovely flowers were on the table. I used an app to make the photo look like a watercolor.
We also ran into Barb Cram, who is associated with my art group Falls Church Arts, and she boosted my mood with her cheerfulness. She was working on the flower boxes outside of La Famille, which is in the same building as Falls Church Arts.
Great phone call with Gin Barrett Shanley
Thank you to Martha Dudley Keller for connecting me with Gin Shanley, who went to Camp Atahi and Roland Park Country School with me, as she had a similar surgery many year ago at the Mayo Clinic. She was driving to Baltimore from a town on the Finger Lakes of New York, so we had plenty of time to catch up and talk about heart surgery. What great suggestions she gave me! I also found out that she went to Happy Hollow Camp one year when I was there.
More signs!
I have mentioned that I am always looking for signs. I have a few new ones for this surgery:
- My surgery will be on 6/5, which is my friend Linda Johnson’s birthday. My aneurysm surgery was on 4/25/17, which was my sister’s birthday and that turned out so well. Birthdays seem to be lucky, or so I am hoping!
- The name Daisy. When I was at the hospital they kept telling me that I would be sitting in the back seat for several weeks after surgery, like “Driving Miss Daisy”. In addition, the book that Dancy Bruce’s mother Betty Melville-Leslie wrote, “Raising Daisy Rothschild”, is on the way to me from Dancy! My friend Peg’s real name is Marguerite, which is French for daisy. She will be with me while I am in the hospital. When I am lying in bed there I will be visualizing a field of daisies!
Look what came in the mail today!
Also, Al reminded me that many cows are named Daisy and I probably will be getting Bovine valves. What more convincing do I need, right?
Will the Pre-op Prep Never End?
On April 25, 2017 I had brain aneurysm surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. A brain scan during my two-week stay in the J.W. Goethe University Hospital (Frankfurt, Germany) showed that I had a significant aneurysm. When my internist reviewed the 7 pages of narrative coming from Frankfurt, all in German, she told me that I had better find a neurosurgeon. That was a bit of a shock, but I did meet with a neurosurgeon at Virginia Hospital Center who said that he could insert a coil without invasive surgery or open my head and clip it.
I put something out on Facebook about this (another reason to love FB for me), and Carol DANDY Beckley, a friend from Camp Atahi days, immediately wrote that I should go to Rafael Tamargo at Johns Hopkins, who holds the Walter E. Dandy chair. Walter E. Dandy just happened to be her grandfather, and was known for doing the first direct surgery on brain aneurysms starting in 1939. The next thing I knew I was up at Hopkins seeing Dr. Tamargo, who happens to be a big fan of the Dandy family.
I am still so grateful to Carol because a young surgeon at Hopkins inserted a Pipeline™ Embolization Device after inserting a coil into the aneurysm and I was home the next day. Amazing and painless! Two procedures to check on it over the next year confirmed that the aneurysm had disappeared. It was a miserable two weeks in the Frankfurt hospital, but it probably saved me!
So, why are you telling us all this?
You probably are wondering how that is related to my heart surgery, which previously crossed my mind. My cardiologist told me that I couldn’t do the heart surgery until I had the aneurysm surgery, but not the other way around. So, at my appointment last week I casually mentioned the aneurysm surgery to Dr. Smith, and he asked me to get clearance from Hopkins, which surprised me, but I thought that would be simple since they were doing no further testing. Thus, I was surprised when I contacted Dr. Tamargo’s department today to find that they want me to have an MRA (MR Angiography). My anxiety level went sky high since I leave for NYC in one week.
Luckily, I was able to schedule an appointment for tomorrow morning at 8 at the Johns Hopkins Radiology Department in Bethesda. Another crisis hopefully averted.
Feeling Blessed with Friends & Signs
I am so lucky to have so many people around the world hoping and praying for a smooth surgery on June 5th. My friend Sally Maisel sent this photo from Bucharest, Romania where she is on a wonderful river cruise. I am always looking for “signs”, and this is a good one! A lot of my friends from college on through life call me “Conk”. Thanks Sally!
Friends are so important
Off to NYC in Search of a Surgeon
Peg, Jane and I arrived in NYC hungry and slightly tired from the Lincoln tunnel and environs. We were happy to find that our room at the Park Central was ready, and headed over to my favorite lunch place, Rue 57. The first time that we were there, several years ago, Glen Close was dining there.
Paula arrived from Bridgeport around 4PM, so we had a nice talk before heading off to Nocello for dinner with John. It is a fantastic Italian restaurant, and you can hear your conversation!
Columbia Medical Center
Thursday morning we headed north to Columbia Med and availed ourselves of the valet parking. I was in a state of high anxiety, so it seemed like a good idea.
We were directed to the 4th floor Cardiac Unit, and Dana Reed, Craig Smith’s Physician’s Assistant, took me to an examination room where we went through my records together and he checked my vitals. His friendly personality did a lot to put me at ease.
Meanwhile, I went back to the waiting room before being beckoned into Dr. Smith’s office. Dr. Smith explained to me what he thinks that I need, and apprised me of the risks associated with the triple valve replacement. It would also include a maze ablation that has a 70% chance of curing my atrial fibrillation.
The surgery itself would take about 4 – 5 hours, and would include a heart/lung machine, which may be my biggest fear. After recovery I will spend about 2 days in the ICU before being transferred to a step down unit for another 5 or so.
Peg and Jane sat in with me and took notes and asked a few follow-up questions. Jane noted a photo of Dr. Smith with Bill Clinton on a shelf behind his desk. He operated on Clinton in 2004.
I felt very comfortable with Dr. Smith, so immediately scheduled my surgery with Gloria. We settled on the afternoon of June 5th, meaning that I would check in on June 4th at 3PM and be put on a Heparin drip.
A young man named Everell took us to a conference room to explain the logistics. He had a nice packet of instructions to give me.
The next few hours were spent getting a chest x-ray, EKG and blood draw. Most of the time was spent waiting.
After a nice break in the 9th floor restaurant, we got the car and headed across the GW Bridge on the way to Baltimore. I was so tired when I arrived home at 9PM that I could hardly move. I am very lucky to have two people so willing to support me in this journey!
The Back Story
I found out about 15 years ago that I have Rheumatic Heart Disease stemming from an illness when I was young that was unknown to me or my parents. It mainly affects the heart valves, but as the disease progresses other things can happen, such as atrial fibrillation, which I now have. This means taking a blood thinner daily and frequently checking the INR to ensure that the blood is neither too thick nor too thin.
The symptoms were not too bad for a long time, but lately I have become more fatigued and more easily out of breath. Time for surgery to replace the bad valves, which are the aortic, mitral and tricuspid.
My cardiologist gave me a list of some heart surgeons capable of doing triple valve surgery. I began doing research on the surgeons and the hospitals, making spreadsheets to keep things straight.
I met with Dr. Eric Sarin at Inova Fairfax, which is only a few miles from where I live, and was impressed with him and what he said about the surgery that would be required.
However, I felt the need to talk to at least one other surgeon, and settled on Dr. Craig R. Smith at Columbia New York Presbyterian. I am driving to NYC tomorrow with my trusty companions, Jane Began and Peg McCarty, so that I have good support and more ears to take in what Dr. Smith says. The meeting will be at 9:30 AM on Thursday the 23rd.
Blog Name inspired by RPCS Classmate Kate Singley Dannenberg
We had our 50th year reunion from Roland Park Country School in Baltimore a few weeks ago. Saturday night I was regaling Rebecca Koch with a story about an amazing breakfast that I had at the Sylvia Beach Hotel at Newport Beach, OR. It is a beautiful old hotel set on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and is owned and operated by the amazing Goody Cable, who I became friends with immediately.
The dining tables each hold 8 people to inspire conversation, and we were joined that morning by Goody, and 4 sisters who travel there from various parts of the country every year. I immediately recognized the one sister, who I had seen running the Portland Marathon the previous day! The 2nd sister asked Goody if she had told her triplets about their great grandfather. Of course, I was immediately wondering who that might be! When I could no longer contain my curiosity, I asked who the great grandfather was. F. Scott Fitzgerald! I then asked the sister if she knew anyone with the last name of Lanahan. She looked shocked and said, “That is my last name!” I had known that Fitzgerald’s daughter Scottie had married a Lanahan in Baltimore. This Lanahan lives in Portland, OR.
The next sister said that she lives in Easthampton, LI, and works as a librarian there. I asked her if she knew any Conklins. Why yes! There were many Conklins in that area. It turned out that she knew of my father, who had contacted the library several times looking for information on the Conklins.
After I had told Rebecca this story, I noticed that Kate, who was sitting next to me on the couch, started making woo-woo noises and began calling me the Roland Park Medium. Thus I am honoring her by naming this blog just that. In the photo above sit Kate and me on a canoe trip for Camp Atahi ca 1967. I believe that we were on a beach on Lake Umbagog in Maine.
Roland Park Medium 