She had never lived far from Gallup or the Navajo Reservation where she was born. But her eldest daughter, who had been caring for her, had died. And Benally, who suffers from diabetes, realized that she couldn't live alone. It helped that she and Little, her youngest daughter, had always been close, in the tradition of the Navajo people. In a Navajo household, daughters or granddaughters traditionally cared for elderly parents.
Sons marry into another family and moved away from their mother's household.
The two women are using the time together to bond and share cultural and family traditions, not to mention cooking advice. Little is a registered dietitian at the Valley's Phoenix Indian Medical Center, and she is curious about foods that people cooked before grocery stores came along. In turn, she is teaching her mother to eat more healthfully. Benally now makes oil-free fry bread and is experimenting with a modern vegetarian lasagna dish. Little said she moved her mother to the Valley gradually, bringing her here for a few weeks, then a few months at a time to get her acclimated.