01/10/2007

Carol Olson

Getting to Know – Carol Olson
By Dolores E. Pike

The holidays of 2005 were devoid of cheer for Carol and Tom Olson.  It was a time of uncertainly and extreme anxiety for them.   Carol's daughter Tara's first baby was born in October and the baby immediately began having mini seizures.  She was diagnosed as having suffered a stroke in the third trimester that affected the left side of her body.  The chaplain in the hospital baptized baby Lauren and then the staff prepared her to be transferred from Scranton, PA to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Extensive testing at the well-known hospital determined that the baby had a large tumor on her brain.  The prognosis was bleak and CHOP suggested that once the family returned to Scranton they make arrangements for hospice care for the baby.

Carol already blessed with two lovely grandchildren, Meghan (now six and a half) and Sean (four and a half) the children of her eldest daughter, Jill, was distraught.  How could this beautiful baby girl who looked so perfect be so ill?  All she could do was provide emotional support as she grieved in private for her daughter and son-in-law who still needed to provide the day-to-day care that a new baby requires.

The picture brightened somewhat when the doctors at CHOP subsequently determined they could surgically remove the tumor, which turned out to be non-malignant, from Lauren's brain. 
In all, two operations were required and today Lauren is right up to par developmentally with babies her age.  She has an MRI every three months and the result of the last one, according to Carol, was that "the brain looks normal if not improved."  The family was told that the younger a person is when diagnosed with a tumor, the brighter the outlook for the brain to adapt.

"I think she is a miracle.  Many prayers have gone out for her.  Someone visiting Italy even brought back holy water from the Pope," said Carol.

For anyone meeting Carol Olson for the first time it would be hard to picture her as being sad. Her smile is quick to appear and she obviously enjoys meeting and talking with people.  She is very honest and open about her life as she is quick to admit. 

After her divorce, she and her two young daughters went home to live with her parents, Jean and Jerry Dippre.  Growing up in Scranton as an only child, she was used to a bustling family household where there was never a generation gap.  In her early youth her grandparents, parents, an uncle and two cousins lived under the same roof.

After her return to the family household Carol's new focus was aimed towards raising her daughters.  As far as she was concerned, another marriage was not part of her future. But, she says, you know how it is with "girlfriends at work who always have this mission for you" and are single-minded in wanting to introduce you to someone.

"I went out with Tom but I had no intentions of getting married until I raised my children and they were out of college so we dated for nine years. Tom looks upon the girls as his own children because he has been part of their lives for one half of their lives. And they love Tom so much," said Carol, noting that Tom had never been married. The Olsons have been married for eight years.

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