Sislyn Peters and Dadda
My Mother
What Mattered to Me
Recently, I was preoccupied with taking care of my mother. That came directly on the heels of my launching this website. Looking after her was important to me. She once took care of me, from infancy, and nurtured me through adolescence. I am now a senior citizen and before I realize it, I could be in the same situation in which she found herself—of being in need of assistance from medical to financial. In order to fully morally support her, I put my interests on hold, and was in a totally different environment from which I had hoped to be, at this juncture in my life. But I wanted my mother to live the rest of her life with dignity, if I could be of help.
Mrs. Fernella Peters
World War II Veteran Widow
She, Mrs. Fernella Peters, was one of the last widows of Antigua and Barbuda’s World War II veterans and was married to the late Alfred Peters who served in the British Army’s 1st Battalion Caribbean Regiment. After raising six children, and after her husband’s death, she had been living a quiet but active life, alone, in Antigua. She did everything without assistance
Alfred Peters, circa 1944
How Life Can Change Even When One Is Elderly
She was a fiercely independent woman. She believed in cooking her meals fresh, daily. Also, she frequently made coconut candy that the locals named “sugarcakes,” and tatted lacy glass tumbler and pitcher covers. These she gave to family members and friends.
From Independence to Dependence
About five weeks ago, Mother felt a pain, which became unbearable, in her left foot. She went to the hospital and was diagnosed with having gangrene in her left leg, from poor circulation, and advised to have her leg amputated. That came as a shock to her. She was then admitted to Antigua and Barbuda’s Mount St. John’s Medical Center where the amputation took place. In the end, she was still trying to process the stunning diagnosis and her health status. So the once busy matriarch of the family lay on her back, daily, and was attended to by a part-time nurse. She had some difficulty sitting up straight. I wish I had seen her leg as it was getting to that stage, pre—surgery, so I could try to do something about it. Even though we spoke every day, she did not let me know of the pain she was experiencing, for months. I believe she didn’t wish to burden me with worry. I was living in New York, and we saw each other an average of twice yearly, for months at a time.
The Kind of Person She Was
In spite of her age, Mother looked forward to getting up early every day and seeing visitors who came by. She especially enjoyed seeing her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She was the kind of person who did not forget a birthday, and would remind others in the family that the day was a loved-one’s special anniversary. She was also extremely considerate of newly-weds, even if she did not know them, personally, and liked to present them with a set of glass tumblers. A designer seamstress by trade, she enjoyed creating and sewing bridal gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, men’s pajamas, bras for large sized women, and more recently, uniforms for her greatgrandchildren. She was a woman of strong faith, who liked to play the piano.
Mother passed, Saturday June 11.