University of Virginia Library

Dear Sir:

I am currently stressed with
a problem relative to my
hospital confinement, so I
thought I would drop you a
line at Reader's Digest to see if
you would consider helping
me. First of all I want to start
my story and request off on a
truthful basis, by telling you
that, I am presently confined
to a hospital, where I am a
victim of paralysis and
leukemia.

According to my
physicians, I have 9 more
months to live. During the one
year that I have already been
confined, I have not received
the first letter from a pen-pal
or a relative, and in order for
me to survive, what short time
I have left in life, I desperately
need someone to correspond
with.

I would like to know if
your company would seriously
consider placing a small ad in
"the letters from readers"
section of Reader's Digest, and
advise your readers of my
illness and desperation for
pen-pals? Since your monthly
magazine has such a large
circulation, and is so
renowned, I feel confident that
it will obtain results for me.

I would deeply appreciate
any correspondence you could
arrange for me, and if some of
the employees at your
company should care to take a
personal interest in my request
and care to write me, I would
appreciate that also.

So please Gentlemen even
though my request for an
article to locate pen-pals may
appear unusual to you, I hope
that you will make an
exception, as since I do not
have but 9 months to live, I
need all of the strength and
courage I can obtain through
letters, that only readers of