Donald Diane

Original Text: DONALD DIANE

It was a rough, windy September night aboard the “Donald Diane”, as it sailed across Placentia Bay toward Walwon Cottage Hospital, in Come by Chance. Hannah Lake, accompanied by her loving husband Aloysius (Wish), mother Catherine (Kit) Wadman, Aunt Mary Anne Morris and the skipper Phillip Prendergast, set sail for the hospital to deliver her first child. From Bar Haven, her home community, the hospital was 75 minutes by boat and 10 minutes by car. However, as the night unfolded it seemed much longer than that.
At four o’clock in the morning, Wish was awakened by Hannah. “It’s the pains, we got to go”, she said. “It’s time”. Wish hopped out of the bed and shouted to tom, “Hannah’s in labor go get Kit”. Within the blink of an eye, Kit and Mary Ann rushed to the house and began to prepare for the trip to the hospital. Tom and Wish, eager to get going, grabbed onto Hannah, as she sat in her rocking chair and headed to the wharf. Met by Captain Philip Pendergast, they loaded up the forty five foot long passenger boat and headed across the bay. As the ladies lay in the cabin, the boat swayed back and forth as it plunged into the stormy waves. The constant tossing and swaying was not helpful in Hannah’s delicate condition. This being her first child, she was very nervous and scared about having to give birth and being out on the boat at night.
Within fifteen minutes of the shore, the labor pains grew more intense and the baby had to be delivered. Since there was no doctor on board, Kit and Mary Anne helped her along. As the baby was born, they wrapped her up in a warm wool blanket and lay her next to Hannah as tears of joy rolled down her red rosy cheeks.
Once they arrived in Arnold’s Cove, they travelled ten minutes by taxi to the hospital where they saw a doctor and stayed for the night. After a couple of days, father, mother and baby returned home safe and sound. However, now, a name had to be chosen for the new born. Since she was born on the “Donald Diane”, the name Diane was given to her in memory of her birth.

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Revised Text:

It was a rough, windy September night aboard the “Donald Diane”, as it sailed across Placentia Bay toward "Come by Chance" and Walwon Cottage Hospital. Hannah Lake, accompanied by her loving husband Aloysius (Wish), her mother Catherine (Kit) Wadman, Aunt Mary Anne Morris, and the skipper Phillip Prendergast, had set sail for the hospital to deliver Hanna's first child. From Bar Haven, her home community, the hospital was 75 minutes by boat, and 10 minutes by car. However, as the night unfolded, it seemed much longer than that.

At four o’clock in the morning, Wish had been awakened by Hannah.

“It’s the pains, we got to go”, she said. “It’s time”.

Wish hopped out of the bed and shouted to Tom, “Hannah’s in labor, go get Kit”.

In the blink of an eye, Kit and Mary Ann rushed to the house and began to prepare for the trip to the hospital. Tom and Wish, eager to get going, grabbed Hannah, who was sitting in her rocking chair, and headed to the wharf. Met by Captain Philip Pendergast, they loaded up the forty five foot long passenger boat and headed across the bay.

As the ladies lay in the cabin, the boat swayed back and forth as it plunged into the stormy waves. The constant tossing and swaying was not helpful in Hannah’s delicate condition. This being her first child, she was very nervous and scared about having to give birth out on the boat at night.

Within fifteen minutes of the shore, the labor pains grew more intense and the baby had to be delivered. Since there was no doctor on board, Kit and Mary Anne helped her along. When the baby was born, they wrapped her in a warm, wool blanket and lay her next to Hannah. Tears of joy rolled down Hanna's red, rosy cheeks.

After they arrived in Arnold’s Cove, they traveled ten minutes by taxi to the hospital, where they saw a doctor and stayed for the night.

After a couple of days, father, mother and baby returned home, safe and sound. However, now a name had to be chosen for the new-born. Since she was born on the “Donald Diane”, the name Diane was given to her in memory of her birth.

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