Lifetime Pals

By Rita Cotton, MO

In 1945 when I was 14 years old, and lived in Pontiac, Michigan, an article came out in the newspaper, from Pen Pals United. It read that I could send 25 cents to them and they would send me three names of people near my age to write to. I couldn't wait to send it off and get some friends to write to, these were friends in foreign countries. It took about two weeks till I heard back from them, that was a very exciting day. One of the three names turned out to be a lifetime friend, Elsa, who lived in Allborg, Denmark. We were almost the same age, and we became best friends. We wrote often and exchanged photos and gifts - the postage back then was 5 cents for air-mail postage. Many of the gifts she sent me were hand made, she was very talented.

Eleven years later, I moved to Missouri with my parents, and shortly after that Elsa moved to London, England. She wanted to be a nurse; she became a nanny in a private home till she earned enough to start college, then she got her apartment and started classes. Finally graduation day came for her. She had written and asked me to send her an American nurse's pin, which I did.

The night of her graduation, she went to bed and woke up with a severe pain in her back. She got up to call her Dr., laid back down and never walked again. She was paralyzed from her waist down, but after a hospital stay, she continued to live alone in her apartment. She had her car with hand controls, and came and went as she pleased, though she went through a lot of suffering with sores on her hips, and from falling time after time, as she tried and tried to walk again.

Our friendship grew deeper; she had planned to come to America to see me, but that dream died when she became paralyzed. Our letters to each other continued until early 1990, then her letters stopped. I worried and worried about her and how to find out what had happend to her, then I was told that the Salvation Army could help me, so I contacted them and gave them her address in London, England.

Two weeks later I received a letter from them. They had found her; she was in The British Home & Hospital For Incurables. I sent a letter there, and received a nice letter from the Matron & Deputy House Govonor, telling me all about Elsa. She had became very confused and disoriented; they told her about my locating her, and it made her happy, but she could no longer write. But I wrote her often, and the Matron always wrote me letting me know how she was.

Then that day I dreaded came, when on July 7th. 1997, I received a letter from the Matron, telling me that my Elsa had passed away. I was heartbroken, I had lost my life long friend. Elsa lives on in my heart, there is not one day passes that I don't think of my special friend.