Darla Hedrick Quinn served as primary caregiver and advocate for her mother, Mary (Montgomery) Hedrick, for eleven and a half years while her mother was a resident at assisted living facilities in Parsons, Kansas, and San Antonio, Texas. After her mother's passing in April 2020, Quinn discovered letters written by her grandmother, Sadie (Marcum) Montgomery, to her husband, sister, and five children while she was in residence at the Norton State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Norton, Kansas.
Written in the depths of the Great Depression from 1932 to 1933, these letters home to family record the faith, fears, hope, and love of a wife and mother while suffering from a debilitating illness that would eventually take her life. The accompanying photographs further demonstrate the life and times of her family.
In Letters from Sadie, Quinn shares this collection of letters and photographs along with a caregivers guide to offer insight for other families, telling what life is like when moving to and residing in an assisted living facility. It chronicles part of one woman's life story, demonstrating a strong love for family and shows opportunities for advocating for a loved one living in a facility.