Sometime in the early ‘90s Therese was summoned up to Canada because her mother, Juliette (Mémé) was not doing well. It was thought that she was on her last legs. As she was in her early ‘90s this was not unexpected. Mémé lived in an elder care facility and was being taken care of but not very well according to Therese, a former nurse. She saw that Mémé was having infections and not being given her proper medicine. She realized that she could take better care of Mémé and made preparations to bring her down to our large house in Southern California. Mémé had lived with us off and on before so this was not any significant change in our family. However, Therese later told me that she thought Mémé had “only about six months left to live…”

When she arrived at our house Mémé was very ill and immediately bedridden. It was thought that she would not last long. A family friend came to visit and I recall her talking with him about “the afterlife” and would she “really see God” – this friend assured her she would. Well, those six months went by quickly. Therese worked tirelessly to revive Mémé and provide her a happy home. Family friends and relatives came into the house quite frequently to see their beloved Mémé – as well as the miracle worker, Therese. Mémé recovered from her infections, and, under Therese’s care, regained her energy and spirits. I grew to enjoy getting to know my grandmother all over again thanks to the incredible efforts of my mother, Therese, who somehow had the power of turning a dying woman’s final days into several years. Mémé lived to be 100.