Spirits of Cibola County- Maxine's Story

(It has been awhile since I have shared one of my true life stories from my book "Wake Up!" This one is about a lady who I am willing to bet could have survived 69 days trapped in a mine.)

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade could have been written with 80 year old Maxine in mind. Some people might say terrible things have happened to her. She says, “Maybe they were supposed to happen.” Positive energy, faith and a sense of humor keep her going.

Maxine has been on her own most of her adult life. Her first marriage ended in divorce when her four daughters were young and providing for them became the most important thing in her life. She said, “I have never stolen anything, but I would have stolen to feed my children.”

One of her girls was diagnosed with polio when she was two years old. At the time they were living in Maine. This experience devastated her. A friend who had a private plane flew them to Boston for treatment. The child eventually responded to hospital care and overcame the disease.

Maxine lived in Florida for awhile. She was on a trip when a friend informed her a tornado had wiped out her trailer. There was nothing left and she had no insurance. Her positive reasoning was the trailer was paid for so she didn’t owe anyone anything.

She picked up her life and moved to Arizona. She obtained a job at the Motorola lab in Phoenix. She accepted assignments others were afraid to take because she needed the money for her children. She was the only one in the lab one night when an electrical storm triggered a serious accident. The lightening caused gasses and chemicals from the furnaces to escape into the lab.

The janitor had accidentally moved her gas mask from its usual location leaving Maxine no protection from the gasses. He was afraid to come in to help her and only shined a flashlight in so she could see. The storm was so strong it etched the glass out of the double pained windows. Maxine was finally able to get out of the lab.

The damage done to her body from the inhaled gasses and chemicals was not immediately apparent. She was unable to return to work because the company felt she might be a health threat to other employees. Maxine could not locate three required doctors to fight their opinion.

This experience probably caused several future health problems. She has had ¾ of her stomach removed, open heart surgery, a cancerous growth removed from her arm and several heart attacks just to name a few. No insurance company will cover her. Motorola gave her no compensation.

She took her savings and moved to Coolege, AZ where she bought and operated a motel near the mines. There were so little rooms available miners offered to pay to sleep on her porch. She obtained a loan, bought a few horses and started a small ranch.

Then another twist came her way. Her doctor diagnosed her with valley fever, caused by cottonwood. Her lungs were a mess and she was given the option of living in a bubble or leaving. Once again she moved, this time to Milan, NM, where she bought three pieces of property.

Maxine is a modern day traveling salesperson. She says, “I will do anything to make a buck.” She picks up Kachina dolls and jewelry from Native Americans and makes trips to Arizona where she sells the items. She also buys and sells property, cars and anything else she can turn into cash. To help with food she always has a garden and goes hunting every year, freezing the venison and making mincemeat.

Maxine would have made a wonderful pioneer woman. Picture her sitting cross-legged in front of a campfire, a riffle across her knees, waiting to shoot, eat or sell whatever came out of the wilderness.

(Until a couple of years ago Maxine, now 90, was also the caretaker of her daughter, Alice. Her death was an unexpected blow for Maxine.)