Meet Sally, my dear friend. You can almost picture her. If you are of a certain age, or if your parents have told you about the iconic children in that early reading series, picture the sunny little sister with the blond hair, Sally.

See Sally smile. See Sally laugh.

Now picture Sally at 83 years old. The blond hair has grown white, but the disposition is still sunny; Sally is the one who makes everyone laugh with her quick wit and ability to see the humor in everything. Until now. Sally’s light has dimmed.

The week before Thanksgiving my husband and I rushed Sally to the hospital. She was confused and struggling to breathe. It turns out she had, not one, but 6 pulmonary embolisms. During the procedure to treat this, she had a heart attack, and all medical efforts shifted to stabilizing her. The next day she was flown by helicopter from our little rural hospital to Phoenix. That was a relief because I didn’t think she’d live long enough to be transported. Our Thanksgiving included prayers of gratitude that she was still alive.

Sally received excellent care at that large metropolitan hospital, and after about a week, she was released back home, next door to us. We were amazed at her recovery, as were her doctors. But now grim reality has set in. Sally is not able to return to her part time job which had supplemented her social security enough for her to live without worry. Those blood clots are still there. When she went to fill her prescription and found the cost to be far more than she could afford, she told the pharmacist, “Don’t fill it. I can’t afford that. I guess I’ll just have to die.” Her doctor has helped with free samples, but that won’t continue.

See Sally worry. See Sally cry.

Seems like I keep seeing things happen that make me say, “I never thought I’d live to see that.” It’s not just on the news, it’s close to home, too close. Sally has always worked to take care of herself and others. She had, perhaps imprudently, helped her son rather than saving for herself – don’t cast the first stone. Now here she is, the proverbial little old lady who has to decide whether to pay the heat bill or buy groceries or buy medicine. Last week she sold the wedding ring that she’s worn for over 65 years, comforting her long into widowhood. She also sold the diamond from her mother, another treasured keepsake. There are no more keepsakes. At 83, we don’t know how much more time she has left. I guess that’s true for all of us. But please, Sally needs help. She is embarrassed to ask. She needs a hand up to get out of debt and carry her over until she can get back to her part time job. This isn’t a fictional character. This is real. It takes a caring community. Please help with whatever you can. Help bring Sally’s light back.

We want to again

See Sally smile. See Sally laugh.