Doctor, Kruger, and Wilkin described older women they have known who have demonstrated how to age well by showing gratitude for the years they have been given. Kruger shared with emotion about her mother, who had breast cancer and a double mastectomy. One time, while the two were changing in a dressing room, Kruger’s mother said, “I’m just so glad to be alive.”
“Rather than be ashamed of the scars of aging, she embraced the life she’s been given,” said Kruger.
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Kruger also mentioned a “dear friend” of hers who died of breast cancer. Before the friend died, she said, “I just wish I could see my kids graduate.”
“Aging is a gift, and we too often think of it as a disease,” said Kruger.
“If you’ve ever known someone who grew through adversity, then you can know that even as you age, there is growth there,” said Wilkin. “Because, again, even as your body declines, you know your personhood is going to develop. That is a rich assurance. And then to know that on the other side of that, we receive bodies that never decline? What can [anyone] take from us?”
