Chapter 19 Summary

This chapter is entitled "I Want to Sleep and Sleep." It concerns Roosevelt's failing health.

Anna moved permanently into the White House on March 1, to serve as her father's hostess and secretary. This created tension between Anna and Eleanor, who had become very close as daughter and mother. Eleanor had always grown jealous of the other women, who served her husband in this capacity, including Missy LeHand, Betsey Cushing and Louise Hopkins, and now, she resented her own daughter.

It was Anna, however, who grew so concerned about her father's health that she arranged a check-up at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Dr. Howard Bruenn, a young cardiologist, was amazed to find that Roosevelt's heart was enlarged with a dangerous buildup of fluid. He diagnosed congestive heart failure and prescribed digitalis. Another doctor found an inoperable stomach cancer, but left no records. Anna supervised her...