Saturday, October 22, 2011

My Aunt Quetita

My mother's older sister, Quetita, is going to be ninety next week. She sent me this picture of herself working in her garden a few years ago, when she was in her mid-eighties. I suspect she doesn't look much different today than she did then. She and her husband Jack are residing in an assisted living facility in Visalia, California. I don't get to California very often these days and haven't visited her, although my sister Norma Jean did a few years ago.

After Norma Jean found her address and phone number and sent them to me, I decided to call her. It was strange in the beginning, when a small voice said, "Hello?" I identified myself as Jan, you know, your sister's oldest daughter? "Who?" Once she finally realized who I was and I told her I wanted to send her a card to mark her birthday next week, she said disconsolately, "Oh. Yeah. I know. Ninety." She doesn't sound happy about it, but I suspect I wouldn't be either. I said that the store where I found a card also has booklets with the happenings of different years, starting with 1930. I asked her if she has some special year after 1930 that would mean something to her (thinking maybe their wedding anniversary).
"Oh, well... there's the year I had my back surgery. I was 31. You do the math." 
"Well, you were born in 1921 and adding 31 years would make it 1952, right?" 
"If you say so." She said this with a giggle. 
"Okay. I'll find 1952 and send it to you." 
"That would be nice. I don't have your address!" 
"I'll send it with the card, Aunt Quetita. It's been great talking with you. Bye now." 
"Bye." 
We said a bit more about health concerns, but mostly it's the whole turning ninety that amazes me. Since neither of my parents made it out of their sixties, I do hope I inherited Aunt Quetita's genetic makeup, but there's no way to know. I think if my mother hadn't gotten breast cancer and then been treated with massive doses of cobalt, scarring her heart muscle, she might be alive today. Sometimes you can survive the disease but die from the treatment. But I still have one first-order relative alive who is of my parent's generation: my wonderful Aunt Quetita. I'll celebrate this most excellent milestone with real happiness!
:-)

23 comments:

  1. Isn't it amazing that people are living to extended ages. I know three ladies who are very active at 93. I hope I can equal their energy at that age.

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  2. as active as you are i imagine you will be around a while...smiles...happy birthday to aunt quetita

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  3. I am facing prostate cancer but should know more after November 7th. My PSA was 12. Could be an infection but usually that high means it is cancer.

    Medicine has come a long way in my lifetime and I suspect there will be a day when we will no longer fear cancer.

    Something like polio. I remember when cities around here were isolated. Outsiders could not come in or insiders could not leave.

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  4. Happy birthday to Aunt Quetitia. What an unusual name. Is there a story behind it? lol.

    DJan, you are so active physically that you will definitely make it to 90 and beyond. Just be sure you don't have dementia, like my mother who is 95.

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  5. Sorry for the misspelling. Quetita.

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  6. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTI QUETITA ALL THE WAY FROM ATLANTIC CANADA.
    Ooh DJan, she is beautiful and just a doll. Me tinks me dear you will long pass the glorious age of 90. What a sweet, adorable post. I love this - thanks for sharing :)

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  7. Happy birthday Quetita. Wow, that is quite some milestone. I think I would only like to be around at that age if I could still lay claim to most of my faculties. I would like all of them, but that may be ambitious.

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  8. Happy Birthday to your Aunt Quetita! She sounds like a corker..I am certain you will make it well into your nineties also! :)

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  9. What a sweet lady! Happy birthday to Quetita. :)
    My dad will be 91 in November and just had hip replacement surgery. His mother lived to be 104, but I'd pass if I get those genes. She had no short or long term memory at all. Like a toddler...less than.
    I would want you to be doing as well as Quetita! Better! All the odds are in your favor, lady! I'm hoping 100 and still hiking about and swimming and going to the farmer's market! And jumping out of planes if you really want to. (You couldn't have gotten me to do that at 20!)

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  10. I hope I grow that old right along with you DJan. My g'grandmother lived to be 95, so there's hope.

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  11. Happy birthday to your dear aunt. I think your genes are better than you might think.

    If I can be alert, active, and still involved with life, I hope to live as long as my mother has. She is 95 and going strong with no problems mentally or physically. Her mother died young, only in her early to mid 60s from breast cancer, so I think what you are thinking about your mom is true. She also probably would have had a long life if it weren't for the treatment she had when she had cancer.

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  12. My grandmother was full-blooded Spanish, and the name Quetita originates from the feminine form of Enrique (Enriqueta) and is pronounced keh-TI-tuh.

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  13. You're number is up when it's up.

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  14. Happy Birthday to your Aunt Quetita!
    DJan, I think it's great that you have connected with your aunt. From the conversation she reminds me of one of my aunts. At ninety she was quite "feisty".

    As someone mentioned above, you are so active and health conscious that you will reach ninety and beyond with no problems.

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  15. Your aunt sounds like a hoot. Nice of you to ask her what she would be interested in. My mother is 90 and she has older siblings still alive and some younger too. I am expecting to live thirty more years at least. If I don't, who would I complain to?

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  16. Oh my God, that's so wonderful DJ, you're so lucky to have found and talked to you Aunt! Her name sounds cute Quetita, haven't heard of a name like that before. Hey I hope you'll meet her soon and enjoy her stories about your Mom.

    Alternative herbal medicine is now getting popular in the Philippines, there is a breast cancer patient who didn't undergo cobalt treatment but instead too some herbal treatment and she survived her stage 4 cancer. I am sure that God's creations were made for a purpose...do you think so?

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  17. Quetita is a great name! And she no doubt has great genes. I suspect they've been passed along to you. Happy birthday to your lovely Aunt.

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  18. That is what happened to my Mom. She had cobalt treatments for breast cancer which weakened her heart and eventually led to a pacemaker. And later her death. I'm already about 10 years older than when my Mom was diagnoised. But who knows if 90 is in my future.

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  19. We are "long-livers" in my family, but who knows, huh?

    Happy Birthday to Aunt Quetita (and what a great name!) and many more years to you both. :-)

    Pearl

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  20. Wish your aunt Quetita a happy birthday. Quality of life becomes an issue at that age. My Dad had excellent quality of life until 85. Form 85-95 it was not an awful lot of fun for him.

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  21. Ah, longevity in the family! A hopeful thing.

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  22. We all put our hopes in genetics these days and why not. Neither of my parents made it out of their 60's either D-Jan but my Nanna on dad's side lived to be 95. Like you I hope to live a little longer than my parents.

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  23. Seeing how active you are and your mental outlook, I'd say you've definitely got your aunt's genetic make up. She sounds like a person to emulate.

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