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 A Personal Story - Osteoporosis Battle
People Magazine interview of Ann Richards, former governor of Texas, who wrote a book on her battle with osteoporosis:
Ann Richards; Jennifer Frey
Unbroken Spirit Former Texas governor Ann Richards refuses to be bowed by her osteoporosis. ,
People, 01-21-2002, pp 73+.
Ann Richards is well-known for her saucy straight talk. As the keynote speaker at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, for example, the former Texas governor memorably deadpanned that Republican presidential candidate George H.W. Bush was born "with a silver foot in his mouth." But Richards, now 68, is equally apt to turn a critical eye on herself. In 1980, when she was a county commissioner, she went public with her alcoholism, crediting Alcoholics Anonymous for her sobriety, which has lasted 21 years. She also admitted that drinking contributed to the end of her 30-year marriage to David Richards, a lawyer and father to their four grown children.
Today she faces a new battle. In 1994, the same year George W. Bush wrested the governorship from Richards, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, the incurable bone-weakening disease that incapacitated her 86-year-old mother, Iona, a homemaker who had cancer when she died in 1997. The ailment afflicts 28 million Americans, mostly over age 50--and 80 percent of them women. Usually triggered by hormonal changes after menopause, the disease causes bones to fracture, which can prove fatal to the elderly.
Now a business consultant who divides her time between Austin and New York City, Richards talked about her condition with PEOPLE contributor Jennifer Frey.
By the time I went to the doctor for a bone-density test in 1994, I had fallen on two occasions and broken my hand and ankle. I thought it was because I was always in a hurry. I had some back pain, but I assumed it was because I lived on airplanes. Then I noticed that I'd shrunk three-quarters of an inch, which really scared me because I remembered putting my arm around my mother's shoulders a few years earlier and realizing how much she had shrunk. After that, she began falling and breaking bones.
Both my grandmothers had osteoporosis too. In fact, my paternal grandmother had it so bad that she was completely bent over. I had always assumed that heredity was a factor. So I wasn't surprised when the doctor told me I had osteopenia, the early stage of the disease.
My mother was such an enormous force in my life, and to see her diminish in strength is something that is just seared in my brain. Going out was difficult for her because she had to use a walker. She was in and out of hospitals. My dad, Cecil, who was a salesman, died in 1994, so she was all alone. She didn't want to leave her home, but she couldn't take care of herself anymore. Finally, I had to put her in an assisted-living facility, which broke my heart.
I was determined to fight this disease. I did not want my children to remember my last years the way I remember Mama's. I've never been a hand-wringer; my attitude is if there's something wrong, make it right. Easier said than done. I was 61 years old and I'd never done a lick of exercise. After I was diagnosed, though, I met a young massage therapist who told me that weight-bearing exercise was the best thing I could do--other than take medication, which I'm on. But just taking a pill is never going to solve all of your problems. It has to be part of a total regimen to increase bone density.
The massage therapist invited me to her gym to work out. I said, "Oh, don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to do that." But I did. At first, fear was the motivator, but I stick to it because I feel so much better. Now, no matter if I'm traveling or at home, I walk three times a week and go to a gym twice a week. I don't trust myself to follow through on my own, so I always hire a trainer. Exercise helps your balance as well as building strength, so it can keep you from falling down as often. And if you do fall, your body can handle it better. For me, the real proof came last summer when I was walking down Madison Avenue in New York City and tripped on the sidewalk. I fell flat on my face, and it took 20 stitches to close the cut on my head. But I didn't break a single bone.
Diet is also important. To get better, I had to acknowledge that I weighed too much, not that I was ever going to be a supermodel. But when you're overweight, you're less inclined to exercise. Now I eat mostly fruits, vegetables, salads and fish. Though I hate to, I turn down desserts. And I've had to face the fact that I need eight hours of sleep a night. I used to get only five or six hours. I'd tell myself I didn't need any more, but I was lying.
The important thing to know about osteoporosis is that in the first five years after menopause, women can lose 20 percent of their bone mass. That means you've got to act fast--and taking calcium supplements or drinking milk isn't enough. You may have to change your habits drastically.
If you need convincing, look at me: By and large my bone density has remained stable since 1994, which my doctor says is a testament to my healthy lifestyle. But the best part is that I'm sharper mentally and stronger physically. I can do things now that I never could before. My youngest daughter Ellen and I recently went to Tuscany on vacation and walked 40 miles over five days.
There was never any doubt in my mind that if I went after osteoporosis, I could control it and lead a healthy life. That's my message to other women: No one can do this for you--you've got to do it for yourself. And you can.
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