Liza's Story Part 5

How did Liza's Swiss foster parents react to her homesickness? How could a friend in Paris help the family? How much more time was Liza and Gizella allowed to spend together with her mother? Finally, if not for a misunderstanding about the train station in Graz, what other direction could little Elisabeth's life have taken?

Continuing his childhood struggles, his hosts grew very fond of her and did their best to keep Liza for a longer stay, but when they received news of her mother's serious illness at the end of October 1924, they felt the best they could do -although with a heavy heart-, to send the girl home to his family, to her mother and sister.

Suffering from osteoporosis and erysipelas, Julia, the mother was now taken care of not only the newly married Gizella but also by her 11-year-old daughter Liza, who was already a "world traveller". Their mother tried to earn money for the rest of her family, even when she was bedridden, with the help of her French friend in Paris, who commissioned needlework. Elizabeth also mastered sewing and it was then that she learned the basics of 'toledo', 'minigobelin', 'riseliő', 'modéna' and monogram sewing. Eventually, Mme Susanne was the only one she kept in touch with, with the help of Elisabeth's teacher, Erna.

With the death of her mother on 22 November 1924, she and her young child Gizella were all that was left!

The frail, skinny little girl probably survived the most extreme years by spending extended periods of time with Aunt Juliska's family - her maternal uncle István's family - at Cherry Blossom Farm, near Paks city, even before Switzerland. But the loss of her mother was a superhuman ordeal for Elisabeth, and she feared she would have a complete breakdown!In her later recollections she said: 'I loved my mother so much, so much that if it hadn't been for God, I would have worshipped Her!'The child, who was mentally challenged to the core, was helped to keep her feet on the ground by her school teacher. The little orphan was taken in by his sister Gizella, along with her son Lacika (his fate is unknown!)

In December 1924, his Swiss "parents", informed of the tragedy, wanted to adopt him. By letter, they arranged to meet Liza at the railway station in Graz at 10 o'clock. By mistake, the little girl arrived in Graz at 10 pm, but of course to no avail! A couple from Budapest brought her back to Gizella's. But her misadventure did not end there!