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A Sad Life.

She was little all her life. A small, red cheeked, dark haired girl, a short, slight adult. Some, not unkindly but in a spirit of fun, suggested that she should have auditioned as a Hobbit. All she lacked was the furry feet.

She and her two sisters had a happy childhood but as she reached her late teens, her troubles began.

She fell for and married a man who treated her dreadfully, neglecting her and the family and being unfaithful. He hit her many times and she always passed off her bruises as 'falls', or glandular fever, or accidents. She was there to run his business for him, but received no money for it apart from basic housekeeping money. There were five children and never enough money. Luckily, the business involved vegetables so the family lived on a largely non-meat diet. She couldn't afford more than sausages occasionally. The kids were red-cheeked, glowing with good health and a great advertisement for eating fruit and 'their greens'. If she attempted to spend any of 'his' money, retribution followed. He didn't live at home, of course, but with his mistress. He came in daily to collect the takings and knew to within a dollar or so how much there should be in the till. She couldn't leave for there was nowhere to go and she wouldn't tell her family the real story.

Once, she managed to get $50 together and bought a little, very old and completely unreliable car. It was her pride and joy and she was able to take the children out for the occasional trip. He demanded to know where the money had come from and soon had the car in his possession, obstensively for repairs, but she never saw it again.

Eventually, after some very nasty episodes involving sex and child molesation, she plucked up courage to divorce him. The whole tale was never told - only a few people ever knew just what horrors had taken place.

She had courage, that little person, and she made a life for her five. Eventually she met a man who, though a rough diamond, was good to her. Some of her children had chosen their father over her but she did her best to keep them all together.

One of her children took committed suicide. This was a blow that was devastating and she had trouble recovering from this.

Then her health began to fail. The doctors diagnosed her with a rare blood disorder which caused her blood to clot. She lost her bowels and was fitted with an ileostomy bag. Other serious disorders followed. Asthma, diabetes, angina, arthritis, osteoporosis, bouts of pneumonia - many, many trips to hospital. She swallows pills by the handful. The trips into hospital by ambulance increased. She wears a medical alarm bracelet with not enough room to list all her conditions.

She's almost made her her three score and ten years which is a miracle in itself, but the real miracle is the courage that this 4 ' 10" lady shows. She enjoys her life. She goes on holidays and lives every moment. She laughs and enjoys a joke. She's game to have a go at most things.

This is my tribute to my sister.

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