friday takeout

Eileen Koob

Administrative Assistant | RAMS and Oelwein Center

What lie were you told as a kid? (e.g., if you swallow a watermelon seed, one will grow in your stomach)

If you stand out in the cold rain you will get terribly sick … not true, you get sick from other people having a cold, the flu, a sore throat, etc. That’s most likely to happen when you are inside. I spent a lot of time outside and was very healthy. My sister-in-law said, in the winter time on a sunshiny day, we should open the windows and let some fresh air in.

What is the best parenting tip?

We have raised five children, and they all know what hard work is and a feeling of accomplishment from a job well done. Let them learn how to work.

Share something or an experience that has changed your worldview.

My husband, Robert, at the age of 45, had heart bypass surgery. He came through the surgery okay, but when he was getting ready to go for his two-week check-up, all at once he could hardly breathe. All I could think of was to give him an aspirin (it thins your blood) right away and rush him to the emergency room. He complained of pain in his stomach and at first they thought it was sympathy pain. He later had a full body CAT scan, and the nurse told us it looked like the night sky, full of stars.

The cardiologist said he had blood clots all over his vital organs and they were not sure how to help him. He explained that he would have to have one of his kidneys removed, part of his liver, his spleen, etc. They did put him on several different medicines intravenously Then a few days later, his doctor said his vitals checked out good and he told us, “Robert must have had someone from up above looking out for him, he should not have lived through this whole ordeal.” I believe in miracles!

How do you feel about people and/or yourself cursing?

I grew up with quite a bit of cursing and I now am rather uncomfortable with too much of it. I try not to swear too much, but sometimes you do stub your toe. My daughter reminds me of the time, when she was a preteen, I had told her that “swearing too much sounds uneducated.”