Letter from M. Carey Thomas to Mary Elizabeth Garrett, December 13, 1887

Dearest Mary, I answered your first telegram at 8 A.M. today and now I have answered the second which I found waiting for me on my return from Philadelphia. I have just heard of a new cure by means of clay and Aunt Hannah and I have been to see the doctor who is a regular physician whose method is open to inspection and who offers to take Father with him to see his patients and talk to them. I have written home about it and for the first time I feel some faint hope. Our great fear is lest anything - bathing or anything of the sort - may cause the cancer to become an open sore when the pain is usually worse but there seems to be no such danger in the simple application of earth, and I hope to persuade them to come on to try it. It will not cure Mother - it is too late to hope for that but it may delay its progress and it may - and according to the doctorGÇÖs promise will - prevent suffering. Mother varies very much. The cancer is pressing on the nerves of her back and shoulder so she suffers from the terrible stiffness some days scarcely able to get dressed or move her right hand or even her head and on others able to move more easily and sometimes to drive to a GÇ£Faith prayer meetingGÇ¥ held at Mrs. GreenGÇÖs house. It - the breast itself - does not pain her much yet - but she looks so ill that each time I see her at the end of the week I feel that a month must have elapsed. Still it is so far a scarcely expected boon that she does not suffer much and is able to enjoy having us all with her. I met Grace and told her everything in the hotel before we went to Baltimore. Mother was delighted to see her and so far we think the shock has had no bad effect on Grace. She and Tom are to rent a house a square off so Grace can be with Mother all the time. The maid GÇ£MarieGÇ¥ is a great comfort and does everything for Mother. We have refurnished and repapered the front room and now everything in the wide world will be done for MotherGÇÖs happiness. If it were not for the thought - how short a time she can have any comfort in us or in anything - I could almost say things looked a little brighter. I have - absolutely as I determined not to do it - let a little bit of hope come from this earth - not cure but alleviation. For myself I thought yesterday before I saw the doctor that I would have to give up my lectures for the present. I was so immeasurably tired. Each week it seems important to part from Mother and it gets harder and harder as the weeks before us get fewer and fewer. But now I feel much better so you can leave on your GÇ£trip GÇÿround the worldGÇ¥ thinking of me as better. How personally sorry I am and yet how glad it will accomplish all you hope from it. You will I am sure come back better and so travelled that my 4 years in Europe will be nothing beside your Eastern experiences. I wish you a happy Xmas. I am sorry to have helped to make it less cheerful and I think if I had not written to you that night I should have thought it selfish to trouble you with my terrible trouble. I wish I had not done so but the habit of telling you everything dates too far back to be easily broken. I have written this without breathing to catch the evening mail. Mamie sends her love. You will I know forgive me dear Mary - I wish you would send me postal card to tell me whether there is any use of writing to you if you start. You need have no anxiety about me - There is no such good luck as that I should be ill. I shall live through it whatever the GÇ£itGÇ¥ may be and oh - perhaps the clay may make it less fearful than I dread. Yours most lovingly Minnie C. Th. Telegram: No change Grace home safely. Will write, I am well. M C Thomas Telegram: Answered first telegram this morning. No change. Will write tonight via Baltimore. M.C. Thomas