"We now found temporary accommodation with my Aunt Helen such was her genuine hospitality until we found our own way about! Antonio stayed on at my Aunt's house until his Dad and the others arrived from Buchenwald which was about a month after our arrival in Brussels.
Antonio's family had a wonderful reception, we couldn't get anywhere near them, the party was tremendous. It happened on the old Town Square in front of the Town Hall. My parents were informed, after my aunt had made me a bit more respectable to look at!. Also, my grandmother was one of the family party and so our family reunion was complete in the best of traditions.
My grandmother had been sure all along that I would survive and return to them all, how right she was. In the meantime, my little brother had grown to a decent size. After the party I stayed on in Brussels to arrange some of my affairs before moving on to the fresh salty air of the seaside.
We were very thin and emaciated, so the order of the day was be careful with food and our general condition! My English cousin who was in the Intelligence Corp (MI5 or 6!!) - he visited me in Ostend and didn't think I was going to make it to survive even at that point! My grandmother's breed thought differently, being tough and strong and having a survivor mentality!
At this time, I was in the process of being rehabilitated and had to build up my body again to an acceptable level of health - it turned out I had a lot of false fat and water in my body that I had to get rid of before becoming "normal" again!
The first week back in Ostend, I developed a very dangerous boil on the back of my neck, where I had been stabbed on that scary night in Block 52 at Buchenwald!!!!It was sheer agony and there was nothing anybody could do about it, it suddenly went after a week.
My ankle would give me trouble for a further five years until all the toxins had come out. To my consternation it would bleed profusely, especially in the summer months. My stomach would never rectify itself no matter how many doctors I consulted with!
I learned to live with what had become a very thin stomach lining with strong acids - my stomach gave me a good deal of discomfort for the rest of my life but I learned to cope with it! My hand sometimes reacted to the weather but I was able to get on fairly comfortable with most things!
To be continued .....
Antonio's family had a wonderful reception, we couldn't get anywhere near them, the party was tremendous. It happened on the old Town Square in front of the Town Hall. My parents were informed, after my aunt had made me a bit more respectable to look at!. Also, my grandmother was one of the family party and so our family reunion was complete in the best of traditions.
My grandmother had been sure all along that I would survive and return to them all, how right she was. In the meantime, my little brother had grown to a decent size. After the party I stayed on in Brussels to arrange some of my affairs before moving on to the fresh salty air of the seaside.
We were very thin and emaciated, so the order of the day was be careful with food and our general condition! My English cousin who was in the Intelligence Corp (MI5 or 6!!) - he visited me in Ostend and didn't think I was going to make it to survive even at that point! My grandmother's breed thought differently, being tough and strong and having a survivor mentality!
At this time, I was in the process of being rehabilitated and had to build up my body again to an acceptable level of health - it turned out I had a lot of false fat and water in my body that I had to get rid of before becoming "normal" again!
The first week back in Ostend, I developed a very dangerous boil on the back of my neck, where I had been stabbed on that scary night in Block 52 at Buchenwald!!!!It was sheer agony and there was nothing anybody could do about it, it suddenly went after a week.
My ankle would give me trouble for a further five years until all the toxins had come out. To my consternation it would bleed profusely, especially in the summer months. My stomach would never rectify itself no matter how many doctors I consulted with!
I learned to live with what had become a very thin stomach lining with strong acids - my stomach gave me a good deal of discomfort for the rest of my life but I learned to cope with it! My hand sometimes reacted to the weather but I was able to get on fairly comfortable with most things!
To be continued .....
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