LETTERS: MRS. C EXEMPLIFIES THE BEST OF GIVING

To the editor:

Each year I ponder on the heartfelt thank-you note I send to the Southeast Missourian to let the community know how thankful not only the recipients of the Christmas for the Elderly are for this wonderful program, but also the staff at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, as well as the Division of Aging and the Regional Dialysis Center. As we've told you in Peggy Scott's well-written stories highlighting these individuals, the people you read about seldom have anyone in their lives to share Christmas with except you who responded to this program.

My dilemma on what to say without sounding so thankful it seems insincere was eliminated this year when I read last Friday's caption on the picture of Mrs. C. How I smiled! Let me tell you about Mrs. C.

I first met her 23 years ago just after I became the county health nurse for the then-Nursing Service. No health department then. The referral came from one of the most wonderful men I've ever known, Dr. John Crowe. His reputation had preceded him as a gruff and short-spoken physician, and I certainly had no reason to think he was anything but that after his phone call: "I want you to teach Mrs. C how to give herself a daily injection of medication. But you'll never do it. In fact, I don't think anyone can." I took this as a personal challenge. No one was going to tell me I couldn't do something. I didn't know Mrs. C at all, but come to find out no one was going to tell her she couldn't do something either.

She had had a fairly rough life, you see, from childhood on through marriage. No one ever took advantage of her, but no one ever really went out of his way to for her either. She was, and is, a tough gal, and she learned to take care of herself. She didn't like the idea of a daily shot, but if she had to do it, she surely would. Within two weeks she had mastered the technique and was very proud of herself, as I was of myself.

I proudly called Dr. Crowe's office and relayed to Sharon that Mrs. C and I had indeed accomplished the task Dr. Crowe had assigned. A few days later, a rose was delivered to the office. You guessed it. The signature read, "Congratulations. Dr. Crowe."

Through the years, Dr. Crowe would call and ask if there was anything Mrs. C needed to make life a little easier. Often he would have firewood or food delivered to her. I suppose the two of us were an earlier version of the present Christmas for the Elderly.

You can imagine the nostalgia I felt last week. Dr. Crowe is gone. Mrs. C and I are 23 years older. She's still one tough lady. She's been a patient of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center all this time, and we have come to look after her as we would family. Christmas for the Elderly assists us with this pleasure.

Mrs. C is only one of many who are touched by your generosity. I have shared some of her life with you because it is typical of the people who benefit now and all year long from this great program.

Many agencies utilize Christmas for the Elderly. We consider ourselves simply the keeper of the keys, if you will. All of us thank all of you from the middle of our hearts.

We also thank the Southeast Missourian staff; Kim McDowell, the newspaper's coordinator for Christmas for the Elderly; our good and talented friend, Peggy Scott, who brings us all together with her journalism skills; and our own Brenda Phillips, the coordinator for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.

CHARLOTTE CRAIG

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center

Cape Girardeau