Get Well, Raestelle!

A lot of people have been wondering where our blip-friend Raestelle has been, since posting her last journal entry a week ago, including me.

A couple of years ago I wrote a story on my blog about an old homestead, "Lisnagar", which was built by my husband's great-grandfather, Edward Twohill. Raestelle saw the story and left a comment on my blog, telling me that her husband John was also related to Edward Twohill....and so my online friendship with Estelle began.

As her blip friends all know, Estelle adds a photo to her journal every day, as regular as clockwork, along with the most interesting stories, and she always has a kind word for all of her blip friends. When we all started noticing that Estelle had missed a few days, we all began to worry about her....

So tonight, I phoned John. I knew something was wrong, just as many of you have also thought, and John has asked me to tell everyone on blip that unfortunately, Estelle had a stroke a week ago and has been in hospital ever since. She has lost the ability to speak, but is starting speech therapy, so hopefully she will be able to communicate again before too long. He told me that her condition has improved unbelievably in the past week; Estelle is a fighter.

John suspects that the stroke came about through the changes in her medication during her recent eye surgery. But she is in the good hands of the medicos now, and as always, this very strong lady is already beginning to fight her way back to recovery.

I told John that I had seen many comments of concern that have been left on Estelle's journal during the last week, but John has no idea how to access her journal to fill you in on her news. He says to let you all know how much he appreciates the concern everyone has been showing already.

John has also given me permission to give out Estelle's address, to anyone who would like to mail her a get well message, so if you would like her address, just drop me a note in an email to jkeevers@gmail.com and I will send you Estelle's address.

My photo today is one of Estelle herself. When we first "met", we exchanged many photos and I always looked forward to Estelle's newsy emails. This is one of the photos she sent to me, (a bit grainy as it is a photo taken of my computer screen!) As you look at the photo of Estelle, picture her as looking this way again, fit and healthy (and looking amazingly young for a great-grandmother!) I know you will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery.

Get well soon, our dear friend Estelle. We all miss you and wish you well. x