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Show A TRUE STORY OF THE WORK OF THE XMAS SEAL A letter just received nt the r offices of the Utah Public Health Association, from one of the cases discovered by the Traveling Health Clinic when it was making its tour through the State, throws great light on the possibilities of saving sav-ing human life if such cases can be found early enough and then' followed up with proper instruction. in-struction. James II. Wallis, executive ex-ecutive secretary of this organ ization has personally visited many of these cases in the state, . and by words of encourage ment, correspondence, literature, litera-ture, books and other means, has helped these sufferers to get back on the road to recov ery. The writer of the letter referred re-ferred to is Mrs. Bertha Graff, who lives in Santa Clara, five miles distance from St. George. She is a prominent Eelief Society So-ciety worker in her community, and a mother of a large family. Her story is best told by publishing pub-lishing her letter: Santa Clara, Utah, November 16, 1923. Mr. James H. Wallis, Salt Lake City, Utah. Dear Mr. Wallis: I hope you will pardon me for being so slow in answering your letter, asking the permission permis-sion to use my last letter to en courage others who are fighting fight-ing the same battle as I am. Your are more than welcome to use it, if it can help some pooi suffering soul to better health. There isn't anything that would give me more pleasure than to visit the sick and encourage en-courage them. When one is weak, one needs others to help them keep up their courage. 1 hope you will have time to call on some of the tuberculosis cases on your trip through th- state, and encourage thorn, a? you did me a year ago. I also hope you will call and see me and note what a wonderful change lias taken place in a year's time. It is simply wonderful. won-derful. I can hardly believe it myself. I thought it would take at least five or six years before I would be able to do as much work and feel as well as I do now, and many of my friends liave told me since I am better that they used to pity me so when they would come to sec me suffering, and one would say to the other, "Oh, what a I blessing it would be if that poor soul could only die and be free from her pain," thinking that I could never get well again. I was an invalid until in March when the change came, and since then I have been doing most all my bouse work; put up 350 quarts of fruit for the family, also helped others who are sick; so you sec there is a great change. Never before did life seem so sweet to inc. I have tasted of the bitter, therefore can more fully appreciate ap-preciate the sweet. If there is anything in this Liter you wish to use to en courage others, you .have rny permission. I know that if the. sick will but keep up their faith end coin age they can arrest the disease just as I have done, but they must never give up, but have a strong domination to (.t-t well, and when they feel blue and want to cry, just smile and say, "No T. H. ym will, never get me;" and they wilt he sui'pi'ised to see how fast they will improve. For more than a year I could not eat, or sleep, or do a bit of work. Now 1 have a good appetite, ap-petite, sleep soundly all night, and have a nap every afternoon. after-noon. I work most of the day without getting tired. If one would have told me a year ago that I would be feeling so well in another year, I never would have believed it. 1 weigh more than I have done since I liavo been married. I stood the cold and the heat b'Uef than I have ever before. 1 have drunk about .'?()() i'lf,' w,'"f- to the Traveling Health (Tlinie. I am returning your book I and ".Journals of the Outdoor Life." Many thanks for the use of them. I certainly do appreciate ap-preciate the interest shown in me during my illness. The book, (l'otlenger's "Tuberculosis"), "Tu-berculosis"), came just at the time when 1 most needed it; my lungs were bleeding quite badly bad-ly just at that time, and it was such a help to me in keeping Up my courage. It is a wonderful hook, not only to help those who art; sick to belter health,! but those who are well to keep well. It has been a great kelp to me. Assuring you that 1 appreciate appreci-ate what you did fur me, and that you will be able to help others also, I nm, Very Sincerely. MRS." BERTHA GRAFF. ' Mr. Wallis, in commenting on the recovery of this woman, says, "If we only saved this one life, the pennies collected from the sale of the Christmas Seal, which were used to send the Clinic on its journey of dis covery, was well worth it. But W( have accomplished so many other things, that those who 'havc'Vontrlbnted in the past to feel that their investment has been well spent sccral times over." , ; V I I |
