Scottsdale,
Arizona
Spring 2001
Dear Friends,
This is a brief summary of what's happening in my life,
which is usually not terribly exciting!
My recent trip to Maine was very pleasant, but exhausting.
My Maine friends (The Jason Program) presented me with a lifetime achievement
award for my work with Hospice. I was also presented with a handmade quilt presented
by the Girl Scouts of Portland, a film documentary about my work with dying children,
and a chocolate lobster, all of which I very much enjoyed. Another highlight
for me was a trip to LL Bean where I got some baby clothes for my grandchild,
Sylvia, and the new baby to come in September. After just 10 minutes we had to
dash off to Boston where we made the connection back to Arizona. Kenneth finished
my taxes in time and handles my mountain of correspondence as efficiently as
he got me to the plane in time. Barbara keeps me in touch with Sylvia's progress
and she's as feisty as her grandmother. She is enjoying her job very much as
well as living in Wisconsin.
Health: I used to take sleeping pills, which enabled
me to a sleep a few hours, the dark side is that I used to fall out of my bed,
which required me to push an alarm button to get some help to get up. The trouble
is, when paramedics come here they never listen to you, they insist to take you
to the hospital to check for broken bones. Unfortunately, you have nothing to
say about the matter.
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They take you
to any hospital they choose and you end up with a bill for $1000.00
for absolutely very little care, no x-rays or blood tests. If it
were not for my son, Kenneth, who kidnaps me and rescues me, I
would probably still be there. He has saved me from going bankrupt
from hospital bills. My opinion of doctors and especially nurses
is not any better and gets progressively worse. Since I am off
sleeping pills now, I have not fallen out of bed, and my very best
helpers, Hope & Howard, see to it that I get back into my hospital
bed if I ever fall, unable to lift myself up.
Anna, my best helper of three years, has come back two
days a week, Tuesday and Thursday, to keep my house cleaned and to feed me these
two days a week. My other distractions are interviews and filming. My film about
my life (The Wheel of Life) will take at least another year before being shown
on HBO. There are also documentaries being worked on for French, German, and
Japanese national TV. My birds are doing well. Besides them are the ground squirrels
and occasional snakes that come up to my bird feeder. They are quite entertaining.
All that I am able to do is get from my hospital bed
to my lazy chair and back. If somebody is in the house, I am able to get into
the bathtub. On occasion a friend takes me into my sunny desert garden or joy
of all joys, takes me shopping.
We're planning to surprise my two sisters (triplets)
on my 75th birthday with a trip to Switzerland. That will hopefully be my last
adventure in this lifetime.
Have a wonderful spring.
Love & Blessings,Elisabeth |
