The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

OK...I'm not sure how to even begin...but here goes.

My grandmother was complaining of severe dizziness.

My uncle brought her to her doctor, who told her to go to the hospital.

She has all sorts of tests done.

She has an Xray and a Cat-Scan.

The results come back.

My grandmother has a BULLET in her brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A 22 caliber, to be exact.

Doctors estimate the bullet to have been in her brain for over 80 years!! (She is 86 years old).

My grandmother has NO memory of ever being shot.

Nothing was EVER told to her...ever.

And all of her relatives (of her age) are all deceased.

Now...the family is all

of what could have happened.

We have MANY theories brewing.

Now, my question...how would we investigate this?

We know some names...google turned up nothing.

We can search the years in question...but there is limited information about the 1920's.

My brother and I are thinking of going to the library in the city and pulling up newpaper articles on Microfiche from the '20's.

But all in all...I feel so badly for my grandmother. She feels like her family lied to her, all her life.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

I dont even know what to say! Can you start with past doctors or neighbors that may have lived where she lived.. I hope she is ok

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

oh my god! your poor grandmother.

is there anything the doctor's can do for her?

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Not sure if she would ever find out. 1920s was not a happy time in the US in NYC - depending on how wealthy you were. Prohibition caused many gang warfare and this could of been a bullet meant for someone else but hit her. Her parents probably didn't say anything because back then no one talked about stuff like that due to fear.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Posted by Michi

I dont even know what to say! Can you start with past doctors or neighbors that may have lived where she lived.. I hope she is ok

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

OMG...that is so bizarre!

I think the library is an excellent start.

Hoping your grandmother is feeling better soon

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Wow, that's one of those unbelievable stories you sometimes hear on the news!!

Our brains have a way of protecting us from traumatic events by wiping away certain painful memories, so it's possible that something happened even though your grandmother doesn't remember it.

Likewise why none of her relatives ever told her anything. I'm sorry she feels lied to, hopefully you and your brother can find something at the library. Good luck and let us know if you come up with anything!!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

omg that is crazy! i would try to investigate, but im not really sure how since it happened so long ago....

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Maybe contact a TV station - I am sure they would love the story and probably have the resources to help!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

I'm too taken aback to even give suggestions.
This is like newsworthy!!
Holy CR@P!!!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

that is just WILD! omg....crazy!

I hope that you may be able to find out how it happened.
I hope grandma is ok!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

wow. wow.

can they look for scar tissue to at least find a point of entry?

what a thing to find out, 80 years after the fact!!!!

where did you grandma grow up?

what was the name of the hospital that would have serviced her?

medical records are not necessarily destroyed once a hospital closes (although 80 years is well past the statute of limitations) it's worth a shot to see if the hosptial had their records archived someplace.

other than that, I would search for crimes reported by the newspaper in her nabe around the age they believe she was/the bullet is, and go a few years forward and backward JIC.

I am so sad for her. it's such a double whammy!!!

ETA: ok, I just saw the other info you guys have.

search the Obits for the date of your great grandfathers death. there could be some info in about the circumstances. it's a little to coincidental that her father died about the same time as they believed the bullet entered her head.

check the newspapers in the area (both big and any local) to see if there are any stories about a man being killed and his small daughter being injured.

Also, contact the NYPD precincts in Billyburg. they may have some info about any crimes/murders they worked on at that time.

good luck!!!

Message edited 6/9/2009 3:45:09 PM.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

holy crap, wow. I would try her town she grew up in records. Geez. crazy story.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

THIS IS WEIRD!!!

I would research on the death of her dad. Too much of a coincidence!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

That is INSANE!!!

But you've got some good suggestions as to where and how to look.

Good luck and I hope your g-ma feels better.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

another suggestion....try the 30 day free trial on ancestry.com.

they have death certificates and other public information that is more easily searchable that trying to get each one individually.

perhaps you could even locate others who may know something.

just dont' forget to cancel before the 30 days lol

good luck.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

WOW
Is it possible she was shot and didn't know it?
(just thinking of the kid that got shot recently at the little league game, he thought he had been hit by the ball)
Just wondering if it happened in such a way that no one knew it had happened at the time. You hear about all sorts of things like that happening..

Perhaps that could help put her mind at ease about her family lying to her.. maybe they weren't, because no one knew anything happened..

good luck!

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

val i dont know what to say!! i just pray your grandma feels better asap

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

All I can say is WOW.

I'm so sorry your Grandmother feel this way.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

I agree with all of you that this is definitely newsworthy.

But my grandmother is so embarrassed, and hurt...she doesn't want to make it public knowledge.

My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. feel differently. They want to spread the workd and see if anyone has any ideas of how we can obtain any info. We don't want my grandma to know we are investigating though. It's too painful for her.

And I'm afraid it might trigger a memory that she would never want to remember.

We are Sicilian. My Grandmother was born in the 1920's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Her father dies when he was 33 years old, my grandmother was 6.

In my heart of hearts, I feel it was Mafia related.

Maybe my great-grandfather saw something he shouldn't have.

Maybe he borrowed money, and never repaid.

I really pray he wasn't in the Mafia himself. My grandma "remembers" him as a GREAT man and father.

We do know that a major newspaper back then was the Mirror. Or the Daily Mirror.

We have somewhere to start.

It's just so sad.

On a side note, the doctors told my grandmother they cannot touch the bullet. Her brain has wrapped around it and it is fused within her skull.

From the X-rays, she was shot right between the eyes...the bullet is right behind her forehead...in between the lobes of the brain where it didn't cause any damage.

It also appears she was shot from a distance, or it ricocheted...since it never exited the back of her head.

OMG...I honestly can't believe this is about MY grandmother.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

So sorry to hear this happened to your grandmother.

Hopefully you can find some information out to figure out what might have happened to her. Good luck.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

WOW! I hope you find out what happened! Your poor Grandma

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

Re: The weirdest, most bizarre, most unbelievable story I've decided to share with all of you. And a question.

OMG wow, I hope your grandma is able to feel better and feels extremely blessed that she was able to survive. It must be such a shock to the system to hear something like that but our memories have a way of protecting us from extremely traumatic events.

ETA: does she wear glasses or have any visible scars? What about neighbors, does she remember last names of any of her neighbors from when she was growing up? They may know something about it.

Message edited 6/9/2009 4:21:54 PM.