Betty Mae Arnold

Betty was born with a genetic disease that would not be discovered for over 40 years. Her parents Frank & Gladys were both carriers of a gene that causes Hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis alone can be managed if discovered early but not cured. The disease is related to other health problems that are more well known, but not recognized as caused by Hemochromatosis. Betty's family suffered early loses of family members due to an unknown killer. Annabelle, Betty sister suffered from diabetes from age 8 until her death at age 25. A family member with childhood diabetes is a red flag when doing history for Hemochromatosis. Congestive Heart Failure is also related, as well as some cancers, and Arthritis. Lily June died at age 38 due to heart failure as she waited to be seen by a doctor in McFarland Clinic in Ames, IA. Helen Arlene died at age 60 from breat cancer, like her mother Gladys. Betty was not diagnosed with Hemochromatosis until after her 40th birthday. By then a lifetime of damage had been done due to high iron levels in her blood. She already had damage to her internal organs, including cirross of the liver, and COPD. She did however live to the age of 63, longer than any of her 3 sisters. Of her 2 brothers, Howard also has Hemochromatosis, and is being treated for it now. Lloyd, to date is the only one of the 6 children who has not been effected. Betty lived long enough to suffer one more terrible loss when her son Ronnie died at age 45 from Congestive heart failure, just 2 years before her death.

Even though Betty had been through many tragic loses, she was always the cheer leader in a crowd. She loved to have fun, and hated to see anyone grumpy or down. She would do what she could to make you laugh. It would be nothing for her to put on a weird hat and wear it to town, just for fun and reactions. The day we lost Betty, was the day God gained a real Angel!!!

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Betty was born the baby of a family of 6 children. Later years would reveal that the union of her father Frank & her mother Gladys's DNA proved tragic for her family. Betty's sister Annabelle was a severe diabetic by the age of 8 yrs. She died at age 25 due to having surgery for her appendix. Betty's sister June died of heart failure at age 38 while she sat waiting to see a doctor at the McFarland Clinic in Ames, IA. Betty began having a great many problems with her health shortly after she went through menopause at age 40. After many tests it was discovered she had Hemochromatosis. Due to her monthly bleeding stopping early the symptoms could finally show. By the time she was diagnosed she already had cirrosis of the liver due to all the iron overload. This contributed to her early death. Betty's sister Helen Arlene passed away at age 60 from breast cancer, like her mother had. Betty lived to be the oldest of the 4 girls by making it to age 63. Betty's brother Howard also was diagnosed with Hemochromatosis after Betty was, but brother Lloyd, as of 2007, has been the one healthy child of Frank & Gladys. Hemochromatosis causes a number of health issues, not always seen as related. Such as Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Cancers, Arthritis, Liver problems. Possibly if Hemochromatosis was more widely known, due to the fact that 1 in 3 of us carry the bad gene, her family could have been saved some of the tragidy, by diagnosing these problems sooner.

Betty grew up in Nevada, Iowa, she married Don Arnold while he was in the service during the Korean War. The lived for a time in Long Beach, CA while Don was in the service. Their middle son Randy was born in California. They then moved back to Iowa, and lived most of their married life in McCallsburg.

Betty loved life, and liked to have fun. She never liked to see anyone down and depressed and would do anything she could to make them laugh. Being a clown was one of her best traits. If we could all have been like her, this world would be a better place today. Betty was struck by Sepsis due to pnemonia in her lung. Due to her Hemochromatosis, a mass that had formed in her liver due to it, and her seriously lowered immune system, the infection took over her blood stream. She suffered horribly before her death 30 days later. Medical technology today sometimes makes God's ways a lot more difficult for all to bare, with the ending outcome being the same. The day Betty passed, was a day God got a real ANGEL!