It’s the right time to share the story that changed the life of a lady in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The lady is my Mother, Mary Pfau.  I have waited many years to write this story.  I will begin by saying that on one afternoon Mrs. Hillary Clinton  held a fuscia envelope in her hand. She was seated on a plane when she read the contents of the letter.  I had asked her if there was a way that she could help my Mom to stay in her own home instead of going to a nursing home for care.  My Dad had just been diagnosed with lung cancer, and my Mom was diagnosed with a spinal tumor at the same time. Her physician told her that if she wanted to continue caring for my Dad, she must have this tumor removed.  She complied. She had surgery. She never walked unassisted again.

The situation  became serious and my Dad unfortunately passed after 18 months.  Our family arranged to have a caregiver there every day to assist our mother.  Finances were exhausted.  At this time, I heard of a program in Ohio called Passport; this was an avenue of hope for the elderly to remain in their homes instead of the option of nursing home care.  I wrote the letter to Mrs. Clinton. Her secretary had a box of letters that she was reviewing while on the flight with Mrs. Clinton. I had typed my request on hot pink stationary, folded and placed it in a fuchsia colored envelope.  As an aside to this, I remembered that my English teacher in high school told me that if one wanted the prose to be noticed, write it on strikingly brightly colored paper.  He was correct.  The lady that told me of this scenario, told me that my letter stood out among the other hundreds of letters. Mrs. Clinton read about our Mother’s situation, had someone call the Counsel on Aging in Cincinnati, where our Mom lived, and expedited the process of Home Health aides coming each day to provide care for our Mom. This continued for 14 years at no cost to our Mom.  How unbelievable is that?  Mrs. Clinton never asked for notoriety for this act of superlative kindness.  There was a distinct message of just doing the right thing for someone who needed her help.  I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee at this time and the local newspaper, the News Sentinel published a story about Hillary Clinton’s gesture of kindness and precise problem solving.  Thank you, Hillary Clinton.  It’s your turn for superlatives.