War and destruction surrounded Jonathan and Mattie Heck as they fled the city of Raleigh with their little ones, trying to escape Sherman’s March. It was April 1865, and the nation had been torn asunder by civil conflict. Suddenly, not only the devastation of war, but deadly disease struck with unexpected fury. Little Fannie, just two years old, contracted measles and her distraught parents feared for her life. they hid in the woods by day and traveled at night. moreover, to make a bad situation worse, the milk she drank was evidently tainted and Fannie developed typhoid pneumonia. By this point, Mattie and Jonathan agonized that they would lose their little one. Then more news came that night – President Lincoln had been assassinated. Now the Hecks dreaded the wrath of the Union Army all over again. Danger was on every hand, and when Bummers, the Union troops who ravaged the countryside, came near their shelter in the woods, they expected the worst. Mattie alternatively wept and bathed her child’s feverish body with cool water from a nearby stream. Fannie’s small frame hung limp in Mattie’s arms, appearing so lifeless as to be a chilling picture of the specter of death. But Fannie Heck lived, and her life became a blessing to countless people, not only in North Carolina, but around the world. She became a legend in her time and her far-reaching vision continues to inspire thousands in this century. No one woman in Woman’s Missionary Union history has ever been more quoted or more revered than Fannie Exile Heck. Get ready to meet the Fannie you never knew. She was so much more than a beautiful face in that portrait on the wall. With her flawless complexion, compelling brown eyes and silvery white curls, the elegant Fannie Heck was a stunning sight. And there was romance in her life, a story as yet untold. Fannie’s adventures are a journey all their own and fascinating to explore. Get your copy of the rest of her story in April!