Page created by: Shirley Snow

She was my elder sister and Mentor. A very caring person who would step-in and help whenever we needed some kind of help.
There were 13 children in our family, Betty was the 3rd from the top and I was the 8th down so there were 9 years between.
Most of the family depended on Betty, she just was “responsible.” Later when I married and had children she would give me a break when needed and watch the boys for a few days. There are not enough words to explain her caring and love for our siblings and mom whom was mostly raising us by herself.
Betty was diagnosed with PD at 53 years old and I was in College at the time-She and her husband had moved 400 miles away for his job so I could not see her often.
The “rest of the story “ is hard to talk about but I’ll try to make it short as possible. She committed suicide 4 years later. Under A Doctor and on PD meds her mental state deteriorated. She was loosing the use of her legs and extremities .
I did all I could to help her, she stayed with our family several times and once we called an ambulance to get her checked out, but when they arrived she refused to go. It was a very sad time. I prayed for healing which didn’t come, and that was in 1996- Not a lot seemingly could be done and she gave-up.
I love her still as always, even though two more in our family have been diagnosed with PD also, I cling to hope and prayer. I am the one who has been diagnosed with Dystonia in my neck so that has to do with my question.