Centenarian Cancer Survivor: Living 100 Years Despite Cancer

SteadmanUhlich

Howdy Folks,
I would like your help with a little project I am doing for a lady who has survived cancer (1975) and still lives her life with spirit and strength and independence (she lives alone) AND she is 100 years old (or young) this week! Read the following and I hope you will participate.
_____________________

The following is a little more about Geri:

_____________________

Happy Birthday at 100 Years!
Today I enjoyed making a few portraits of an interesting lady (Geri) who has her 100th birthday this week. 100 years old! Or 100 years young?

She is a nice woman and a strong woman with a sly sense of humor. She laughs easily, she smiles often, and she is a sharp cookie. She is strong in spirit and strong in will. Her son (74) told me she is "tough as nails." She is a cancer survivor (breast cancer in 1975 with radical surgery, no chemo or radiation), and has survived a serious heart attack. She lives alone in her neat brick home and tends her garden every day.

She traveled alone and took a tramp steamer to Yugoslavia when she was 67. She grew up in Iowa, but has traveled to the Far East and Europe.

I have seen numerous nice photos and snapshots of her from the time she was born (1912) through her youth (she was a striking looking teenage girl and she looked smashing in a swimsuit on the beach at Catalina Island back in the late 1920's.

I asked her if she had a favorite memory of a place she had visited. She said: "Catalina Island, when I was a girl. We took the train from Iowa to California, and danced and swam in the ocean and had so much fun."

I asked her if she had any unfulfilled wishes to see a place or do a thing. She reflected on that and then answered: "No, I have lived a good life and am satisfied."

Remarkably, she lives by herself in her own home (since her 50s when her husband died) and she still gets around (walking herself to the car etc.). She gardens and is proud of her home and garden, saying it is the nicest yard in the neighborhood.

I asked her about the key to her longevity and she simply smiled and said: "I walk a lot, and always have all my life...I used to walk 5 miles everyday to work."

I could see she is a strong woman, so I asked her if she had ANY weakness. She thought a few seconds and replied with a smile: "Dark Chocolate."

I am told she plays a mean game of cards (poker or bridge) and has a lot of what Westerners (people who live in the Western USA) call "Grit." I admire her and enjoyed spending time with her.

I would like your help to bring another smile to her face.

Her birthday is this week. If you are inspired by her and would write a few words of birthday greetings for her, I will pass those to her later this week when I join her at her birthday party this weekend in this small town in Texas (population 3,000). And IF you want to send her some Dark Chocolate as a gift, contact me and I will give you an address where you can send it to her son for giving to her at the party or after.

Geri's family did not ask me to do this (or post this here), but they approved me sharing her photos and story with others. So why am I doing this? Part of the reason is that my own mother died from cancer 8 years ago (age 81) and I know that her own great attitude about life (despite cancer) inspired me then and now. Secondly, I think that for a woman who lives by herself (and has since she was 50), I think it would be fun for her to receive gifts of words or dark chocolate from admirers around the world. And, lastly, because I have always thought that the people who make it to 100 deserve some recognition for just surviving that long.

IF you send greetings, please sign it with your first name and city/state/country, as some of the "avatar" or screen names may seem odd to her. A real name (first only is OK) and WHERE on the planet your greetings come from is key.

I think it would be fun for her to receive birthday wishes from people around the world (you can add yours by sending an email with subject "Birthday Greetings" to my email address below), and if you feel generous or touched, perhaps send a bit of chocolate from your area too. If you care to participate, just contact me via email steadman(AT)steadmanuhlich(DOT)com and I will pass on your wishes or send you her son's address where notes, cards, or dark chocolate bars can be sent.

Finally, if you think of another website or forum where her story may be inspiring to others (cancer survivors or not), please let me know, and I will see what I can do.

I don't know how to post a photo here on this forum, but I will add two links below where you can find my portrait of Geri. If you wish to add your Birthday Greetings there or on Facebook, you can do that very easily too.

Facebook Photo Post
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=322553401153992&set=a.141262679283066.36574.100001980054663&type=1&theater

A Large Photo of Geri
http://www.steadmanuhlich.com/artist/2012/05/100-years-young-portrait-of-a-centenarian/

msphil

God continue to Bless and keep her and HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!msphil( I,m an 18 yr Survivor) Praise GOD) and pray I make many, many more as she.  idc, stage 2, 0/3 nodes, L mast., chemo and rads and 5yr on Tamoxifen