Sally was an amazing person. Sometimes you can just meet a person and see something special in them. That was Sally. The article is right; she had an amazing smile and she was just so warm and friendly. She will be greatly missed.
I get the same comments from Deaf VRS users when they get me as their interpreter. They ask me if my parents are deaf, and my reply is the same. I can't reveal any personal information - company policy. They then tell me stories about other interpreters that they feel didn't do a good job...
You can't really compare this to a Sidekick. This device will ONLY work if you are in a Wifi hot spot (Borders, etc). You can't just whip it out at the mall and IM and email your friends.