Sadly Jeanette passed away at Cann House Plymouth on 15/09/2024 following a series of strokes earlier in the year. Her oldest friend of 60 years was with her at the end and she will be sorely missed by all that new her.

Below is her story

My name is Jeanette Hipsey known to my friends as "The Hippo Lady". Back in October 2005, five months after my retirement from the NHS, and following researches into my family tree something momentous happened, I made contact with a distant cousin called Kathy whom I first met in 1998 and who,in 2000, had been then diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a form of kidney failure. Following that meeting I made the decision to donate MY KIDNEY to Kathy. During that time I kept a personal diary of all the events both leading up to and for the 18 months after the operation which took place in June 2007.

Click here to read my story

I am also indebted to the researches of Peter and Edwin (Canada) Hipsey for access to the genealogy information they have collected over many years for their researches into 'the Hipseys' - without their help much of the work on the Family Tree would not have been possible. I would also like to thank the many family members and friends without whose input and permissions this site would not be possible.

Click here to view the family tree



I acquired the name 'The Hippo Lady' many years ago as a direct result of my passion for 'All Things Hippo'. As well as a collection of Hippo artefacts and ephemera, I have also adopted a hippo called 'Abe'. Elsewhere in my site you can explore all things Hippo and I hope you find them as fascinating as I do. I have also included links to other Hippo related external websites.




Jeanette

JH September 2012


The oversized Hippo is solemn and dutiful,
But only Hippos think Hippos are beautiful.