The "Dear Frances" Letter
PROLOGUE
In 1949 Bob Baker of Tampa, Florida, at the
age of 15, dove into a shallow lake at a church picnic and broke his
neck. He suffered a severe cervical spinal cord injury affecting all
four limbs, leaving him a quadriplegic.
Bob suffered terrible
(yet understandable) mood swings, going from feeling “…as low as a
snake’s belly” to bubbling along with a joke and a smile. However, Bob
was special not because of his physical limitations; he was special in
spite of them.
Bob lived through his
mind, his dear friends and even brief acquaintances whose paths he
graced. One of those friends was Frances, his favorite nurse in those
early, dark years. In 1996 Bob wrote a letter to Frances. He had
composed this in his mind, off and on for decades and he wanted to
share things that he could never tell her at the time. He wanted her to
know that her time with him was not wasted, and he wanted to share with
her his successes. Years later, Bob shared a copy of that letter with
me. After reading it, I tucked it away in a box on the top shelf of my
closet. And that’s where it stayed, until now.
Recently, a desire arose in me to share the
story of Bob’s inspiring life with others. I remembered the “Dear
Frances” letter and retrieved it from its safe haven, its time-worn box
tied with blue ribbon and now covered with dust. Inside the box was a
brief note to me and included with it (for my pleasure) was a copy of
the gardening section of a local newspaper.
The contents of the letter were originally
meant for Frances, of course. The letter either never made its way into
her hands, or she chose to not reply.
Using the “Dear Frances” letter as my guide
and eventually my outline for this book, I gathered details from my own
memories as well as those of his close friends, resulting in what I
believe to be an accurate account of Bob’s remarkable life.
It is my heart’s desire that you will come
to know through the pages of this book, the indomitable spirit of Bob
Baker and his personal triumph of will over extreme physical
limitations, and that in some small way, it will touch your life and
maybe help others who have the misfortune of becoming a victim of
life-changing accidents.
