I met Lizabeth many years ago. it was 1974 and we were at the Service of Cytopathology and Cancer Control of the School of Medicine in Universidad de Chile. She arrived there to work as a medical technologist, another one of us, where her limitations of being in a wheelchair were not an obstacle for her or to take part in everything that happened there.

She tooted when she arrived, so that someone would go out to help her; very different from the situation in the United States, where everything is prepared for disabled people’s limitations. Then Tina, who we called Mamá Tina, or José, an assistant in the laboratory, helped her by taking the wheelchair out of the trunk and then lifted her and sat her in the chair. There were some steps to go down into the service because it was located almost underground, but none of this was a problem.

Lizabeth had no problem to go to the bathroom with a woman or a man to help her and when she was ready, she used to call with her booming voice for someone to bring her back. So the whole laboratory knew of her situation but the one who suffered most with her shouts was dear Zoila when she sent her to do her things.

Zoila was a great person and the greatest support in Lizabeth’s life. We loved her dearly and she would indeed deserve another book. Especially the time I spent in her house in Los Angeles, California, together with my son Sergio and my daughter-in-law Mel. Those were unforgettable weeks, where both of them received us with the great love they gave to all their visitors.

At the laboratory, she was a little lazy when it came to cleaning cytology slides or writing the name of the patients in the book and we told her off in a joking way. Another thing I remember is when she was putting on her make-up. She would take out her cosmetics, and the funny thing about it was that she had a very "dirty" little cloth to clean herself. It seems that she didn’t wash it very often and that gave rise to all kinds of jokes.

Always, her personality, was to gather us in a group and invent all kinds of entertainment or activities. One of them was to visit the Valdivia Hotel, which in those days was a great love motel and today doesn’t exist. As usual, and without any problem, and even with the help of the hotel staff, Lizabeth moved from room to room getting to know the different decorations. I was told about this, because I didn’t take part, but I understand that Marcela Labbé, and probably Tina or Susana Bravo, were with her and they can add more information about that adventure.

I do remember an invitation to her house in Ñuñoa, where Zoila waited for us with a delicious dish of chicken stew and the best welcome in the world. I don’t know the reason for the meeting, but we had a super time. I always remember that chicken stew because it was very tasty, so much so that when we visited them in Los Angeles, I asked her to cook it for me. Of course, she did it with that distinctive love she always gave.

When they decided to leave for the States to look for better opportunities, which they found, it was a very sad farewell at Tita’s home. We could not believe that she was leaving us. But it wasn’t a total abandonment, because she and her mother and also her friend Neal, came to Chile to visit several times.

In one of her last visits to Chile, she visited the Cyto-histopathology Laboratory of doctor Arturo Espinoza Negrete, where she told us how cytologists should work in an optimal way, very interesting. She spoke about how the chair, the back and arms should be positioned so as not to have health problems, amongst other things.

All these stories prove my great friendship with Lizabeth, and her great love and drive for self-improvement in her life until today, despite all the obstacles she has found in her way. The death of her mother and the last illness had all of us here in Chile very afraid and praying for her good recovery. Thank God, we still have her presence, although she is so far away.

We love you a lot and forever,

Mafalda, Mafy, Bierschwale