Psellos' elder sister, while her brother was absent, was attacked by an internal disease, which damaged her liver and caused it to swell. She developed a high fever, and soon wasted from well-nourished good health to death. She died in her mother's arms. Her mother, Theodote, seized the chance to devote herself to God in a convent, got the consent of her husband, and cut off her hair, which was carried on the edges of the funeral bier. Her daughter was buried near her mother's chosen convent. The parents realised what a shock this would be for Psellos, a devoted brother, and arranged the funeral quickly