JESSIE MAE HEMPHILL

Riceviamo e volentieri pubblichiamo la mail che ci ha spedito Richard Johnston, presente al capezzale di Jessie Mae assieme ai nostri amici Tony & Janice. Da loro abbiamo infatti saputo quanto accaduto poche ore fa, e con le loro parole cerchiamo di dare completezza alla notizia.

I'm sad to inform you all that Jessie Mae has passed away from this world, hopefully thru to the next.
My heart feels like a brick. Jessie Mae was on stage with me just a few months ago and now she is gone. I wanted see her live to enjoy so much more, to know how she has effected so many people throughout the world. No amount of words can express my grief so I've decided to just share the facts with everyone. She had a perforated ulcer and her system became septic. A young man named Mark Coletrain brought her to the hospital when it became obvious she was severely ill. When they arrived the doctors soon determined she needed surgery, or else... She refused the operation. Soon after her next-of-kin arrived from Minnesota but Jessie Mae had become too weak for the operation. She struggled for approx. 12 days and gave in on the 22nd of July, 2006 at approx. 6:45 p.m. I had left her room just 30 minutes before she passed. Fortunately her family was there right to the end.
The day before I spent 2 1/2 hours alone with Jessie Mae and she actually opened her eyes. I told her how much I loved her and asked to blink twice if she understood. She did.
I played my mandolin to her for hours.
The next day my friends, Toni, Janice and I met at the hospital. Janice has been nursing for 35 years and I was glad to have her with me. She helped me understand what exactly was going on. Jessie Mae's family arrived soon after we did and we visited together for quite a while. I soon realized that her family was every bit as special as Jessie Mae, herself.
It seem appropriate to let them be alone so Toni, Janice and I made way. We stopped to eat together. Just as the check came the phone rang and Ruby Hemphill Bonner (Jessie's cousin) called and gave us the news.
The past 24 hours have been vacuous for me. Writing to you all is helping so forgive the length of this message. All I really need to say is how much I appreciate that so many of you have shown her so much love over the years. She became as important to many of you as she became to me. The family and I, with the help of many close friends, are working out the details for Jessie Mae's memorial service. I will write as soon as we know what's going to happen. I hope anyone who can make it will come.
Be good to the ones you love, Richard Johnston.

And Nothin' But The Blues...