Title

Betty's Story (1901-1923)

Abstract

I was born in Illinois in 1901. My parents were Alfred and Mary. They immigrated all the way from Germany to America; they wanted to give me a better opportunity at life. Unfortunately, I grew up in a poor household. Immigrating and moving into a house to call home was already expensive enough. We did not have much money. Despite this I was eternally grateful for my parents' struggles to get to the U.S and for trying to give me a better life. I worked as a clerk to help support my family.

As my life went on, things started changing in the beginning of 1923. Although people expect the new year to be great and grant wishes, it did not feel like that for me. I started getting severe cramps, was in constant pain and did not know what to do about it.

I soon found out I had this disease called Perforation intestinal. I was scared because there was no treatment for this. The most I could do was home remedies and avoid solid foods so that it wouldn't longer hurt my stomach.

Although I was trying these “solutions”, my pain kept going. This disease led to my death. I closed my eyes eternally on February 24, 1923, at the Milwaukee County Hospital. Finally, I was away from suffering and could be in comfort as well as peace. My family could not afford a proper burial, so I was buried at the poor farm cemetery 2 on March 6, 1923, in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have now been forgotten, and the grounds have been desecrated.

Note

Fictive Narrative

Date

November 18, 2025

Creator

Amy, sophomore high school student