This letter to Carl and Rio is mostly concerned with life insurance. John Preston McConnell advises that they keep up their life insurance policies and mentions how important this is. In addition to this advice, he also mentions that Martha McConnell is being taken to the hospital in Roanoke because of a very painful eye malady called "eyeritis". He was most likely referring to what is now known as Iritis, which causes eye redness, sensitivity to light, discomfort and decreased vision.