Deanna Grace Mills
Deanna was born March 21st, 1937 to Grace Lucretia Henry and William Mills. In November of 1938 Deanna had contracted tuberculosis which had travelled to her spine (Pott’s Disease) and was subsequently ‘placed’ in Queen Alexandra Solarium, in Mill Bay, B.C..
Queen Alexandra Solarium
1938-1949
In the 1940s treatment primarily involved prolonged bed rest, sometimes supplemented by collapse therapy, and fresh air.
Deanna told me she had had several surgeries to remove infected tissues and fuse her spine. This resulted in her torso being casted repeatedly, which ultimately affected her height.
The back of this letter says: “for now, Love Deanna.” My grandmother doesn’t remember her mother ever visiting her.
Life in the Solarium
Newspaper Articles
Most of her life
Deanna Mills, forced by spinal tuberculosis to lie always on her back with her torso motionless, has known the effects of the disease for most of her 18 years.
Her busy fingers utilize the time on her hands by knitting baby clothes, filling her stamp book which now contains more than 5,000 specimens, and writing to her many pen pals in England and such remote corners of the earth as the Gold Coast, Fiji and India.
The attractive young girl spent 11 years in the Solarium before she was moved to the pavilion, her home for the past 15 months. She says she will be “up and around before long.”
Hjertholm–Mills Wedding
Mr. and Mrs. William R. Mills of North
Kamloops came to Vancouver for the marriage of his daughter, Deanna Grace, to Ove Hjertholm, son of Einar Hjertholm, of Os, Norway. The ceremony took place in the chapel of St. Andrew’s.
Wesley United Church. The bride wore a graceful waltz-length gown of white satin with full lace overskirt and matching jacket. A tiara of seed pearls held her chapel veil and she carried a colonial bouquet of roses and white carnations. Miss Myrna Vanetta, maid of honor wore a waltz-length blue taffeta gown with matching headdress and carried a colonial bouquet of pink carnations and white freesia.
The groom was attended by Kurt Solland,
formerly Souda, Norway. At the reception held at Hotel Ritz, Harold E. Nickason, Cloverdale, proposed the toast to the bride.
Moving to Norway
October 8th, 1968
Dear Ove and Kelly
Our ‘things’ will leave Jasper tomorrow. Will take 3 weeks. I’m still waiting for Federated Growth and still have the T.V. and record player to sell. I am getting nervous about the car. Nobody wants to pay more than $700 because of the body work. The garages (Jasper Motors and Shell) say I’m lucky if I get $900, So – Darling – don’t be too disappointed if I only get $700. I have tried really hard. I am very lonely and want to get home to you both. I hope I can leave about the 15th Oct. Will let you know how I’m arriving.
I love you,
Deanie
My dear husband, my good father, our son, son-in-law, our brother, brother-in-law and uncle
Ove Hjertholm
died today, nearly 35 years old.
Nordre Neset, 28/2-1970.
Deanna Hjertholm, f. Mills
Kelly.
Astrid and Einar.
Grace and Carl
Kirsten and Lars.
Erling and Inger.
5 years after Ove passed away, Deanna decided she would travel.
- Entry: September 12, 1975, at Flesland (Bergen).
- Exit: October 3, 1975, at Fornebu (Oslo).
This stamp indicates she entered Qatar on November 6th, 1979 and exited on November 10th, 1979.
She then entered Egypt on November 10th, 1979 where she stayed until November 16th, 1979.
November 16th, 1979 she entered Jordan where she visited for two days.
The image shows two vintage Israeli passport stamps from the late 1970s.
- The stamps indicate entry into and exit from Israel via Ben Gurion Airport.
- The top stamp shows an entry date of November 18, 1979.
- The bottom stamp shows an exit date of November 26, 1979.
- The stamps are in both Hebrew and English.
Death August 12, 2021 (84 years old) in Vernon, B.C..
@missawebber 