USA: No One Ever Died of Old Age, Says Texan

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (The Daily News), February 12, 2007: Ivan Arceneaux, an activist for the cause of Senior Citizens has contributed this message to today February 12, 2007 Tuesday, 5,000 older Texans and I will celebrate the fourth biennial Senior Day at the Capitol with an outdoor morning program followed by afternoon visits with our senators and representatives to advocate on behalf of all 3 million older Texans for this 80th Texas Legislature. In 1977, the caretaker of the American Legion Hall in Freer, having listened to his fellow senior citizens list their needs for better transportation, more nutrition and other social services, blurted out from the back row: "Whoever doesn't put good health as No. 1 is nuts. If you got good health you got everything. If you don't, you got nothing." Day by day, I become more aware of the importance of good health and that eating and exercise are the key daily ingredients for continued good health. So I walk and watch what I eat every day. No one has ever died of old age. Heart disease and cancer are the main causes of death for more than half of the 50-and-older population, followed by stroke, chronic respiratory ailments, accidents, pneumonia, flu and diabetes. "If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself" has become my mantra. We can do something about all the above causes of deaths except accidents. Some people would include cancer, but my dermatologist reminds me quarterly that my summer days in the south Louisiana sun as a boy are showing up 60 years later in my skin condition. My Poppa, a non-smoker, told me that every cigarette I lit was another nail in my coffin, and I just laughed. Today, my doctors connect every ache, ailment and pain that I complain about to my smoking. Had I not stopped cold turkey 20 years ago, I would probably now be a statistic. It amazes me to walk the University of Texas Medical Branch campus and see the smoking and the results of smoking all over their supposedly smoke-free campus. Did God give us a body to attempt suicide by smoking? Dumb animals run away from fire. Intelligent humans spend money to buy a cigarette to burn it while inhaling its poisons. Here is something else positive you can do: The US post office is selling special 45-cent stamps to help fund breast cancer research. For an extra 6 cents, that goes to "fund the fight and find a cure" for breast cancer, you can mail a letter and help save lives. I bought some. Go thou and do likewise, my Bible says. Copyright: The Daily News, Galveston County, Texas