If anything, I'm more curious about her life now: what's it like to come back after something like that, what was she doing in the meantime, does she retain her flair for research, or even hold those sorts of pursuits in any kind of regard?
Maybe this is what it's like to enjoy biographies shrug
"Unable to work because of it and subsequent injuries, she had long lived in poverty, sustained largely by the religion she had come to early in the decade."
I wonder what religion this is. One is quick to think Scientology, but to make such an assumption is too quick and heavy-handed I fear. It seems to be the best outcome, but not one that is pleasant at all.
Otherwise there are countless religions which fit this category in the US. Many with a strong history in running almshouses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almshouse