Thelma Sutcliffe is America’s oldest living person | wtol.com
Sutcliffe, an Omaha, Nebraska native, became the record holder on
April 17, when 116-year-old Hester Ford died on April 17, died in North Carolina, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Like all of us,
Sutcliffe has been affected by Covid-19. Her assisted living facility stopped allowing residents to eat meals in the communal area, Mason said, and residents had to eat in their rooms. It was hard for Sutcliffe, she said.
“It breaks my heart, because the first thing out of her mouth is, ‘Are you going to stay and eat with me?'” Mason told CNN. “And I have to say I can’t, they won’t let me … I tell her we have to go by the rules.” Now, even as the facility has started letting some people eat communally, Mason said Sutcliffe still won’t eat in the common area. “I don’t know anybody down there anymore,” Sutcliffe told Mason.
As for her longevity, Sutcliffe credits the fact that she never had children, never smoked and believed strongly in never worrying about anything, Mason said. “She’ll say that to this day,” Mason said. “Don’t worry. She has a philosophy of not worrying.” Sutcliffe does know that she is now the oldest person in the US, Mason told CNN. But when the fact is brought up, she typically brushes it away with a, “We don’t need to talk about it.”
Biography
Thelma Sutcliffe was born in Benson, Omaha, Nebraska, on 1 October 1906
to August and Maude (née Adams) Liesche. On 3 September 1924, at the age
of 17, she married Bill Sutcliffe in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The couple had no children, and were married until Bill died in the early 1970s. Sutcliffe has survived two bouts of breast cancer over the course of her life.
At the time of her 110th birthday in 2016, Sutcliffe lived in a residential apartment in Omaha, Nebraska. She reportedly exercised every morning, did her own laundry, and played bridge several times a week. In 2017, Sutcliffe moved into an assisted living facility in Omaha. She celebrated her 114th birthday in October 2020. Sutcliffe’s sister, Marie Kelso (1904-2011), lived to the age of 106.Sutcliffe was married in 1924 at age 17. She and her husband, Bill, who died in the early 1970s, had no children. She worked for the War Department in the 1940s, but otherwise did not work outside the home. Â
Currently, she is living at the city’s senior-citizen home. Due to the novel coronavirus, she had to stay locked down for most of 2020 as the people in the age group and below are the most vulnerable. Despite her hearing and sight fading steadily, Sutcliffe is still extremely determined to live her life to the fullest till the very last day.Â
“Thelma is as determined as ever to do what she wants to do,” her longtime friend named Luella Mason told the Associated Press.Â
However, she further added that Sutcliffe is not liking the quarantine life. She wishes to step out as soon as the situation allows her to do so. Not only that, she even asks her friend to come and dine with her as well. She also added how she does not enjoy getting the COVID tests done.
Thelma has received all her vaccines on time. Here’s hoping she lives for the longest time and makes the most of it! âI was born and raised here,â she said in a strong voice. âIâve never lived a day anywhere else.â When it came time to blow out the candles on her birthday cake, she got a little help from her nephew and from Tamera Trudell, the Brighton Gardens activity director.Â
Thelma was an avid bridge player when she lived at Elmwood Tower, even when she became a supercentenarian at age 110. She moved to Brighton Gardens last year. The 112-year-old doesnât look like sheâs going anywhere.
One more year, after all, and sheâs a teenager again.
Longevity Records
 Is an American supercentenarian who holds the record as the oldest person ever documented from the U.S. state of Nebraska. At the time of her 110th birthday in 2016, Sutcliffe was the oldest known person living in Nebraska. Following the death of Minnie Whicker on 22 October 2020, Sutcliffe entered the top ten oldest validated living people in the world. Following the death of Beulah Meloche five days later, she became the last remaining validated American born in 1906. Following the death of Hester Ford on 17 April, 2021, Sutcliffe became the oldest validated living person in the whole of the United States.
On 14 April 2020, Sutcliffe became Nebraska’s all-time longevity record-holder after surpassing the previous record of 113 years, 195 days set by Helen Stetter. Additionally, upon reaching the age of 113 years, 328 days on 24 August 2020, Sutcliffe became the oldest person ever born in Nebraska, surpassing the age of Clara Huhn. Sutcliffe’s sister, Marie Kelso (12 June 1904 â 8 March 2011), lived to the age of 106 years, 269 days. With a combined age of 221 years, 114 days, the sisters are one of the oldest pairs of siblings ever recorded. Sutcliffe is currently the oldest person living in the United States and is the last known American born in 1906 whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).
Her longtime friend, Luella âLouâ Mason, said she is happy that the senior living center where Sutcliffe lives is locked down, but âThelma is as determined as ever to do what she wants to do.â Until visitors are allowed in the dining room, Thelma is taking all her meals in her room. Mason, who has Sutcliffeâs power of attorney, calls the senior living center 24 hours ahead of time to schedule visits.
âShe asks me every time I visit, âAre you going to eat with me today?ââ Mason recalled. âIt breaks my heart that I canât.â Sutcliffe received her COVID shots at the earliest opportunity, but testing for the coronavirus was a nonstarter. Mason said Sutcliffe looked at the swab and said, âYouâre not going to be sticking that thing up my nose. You can tell Lou to stick it up hers.â Sutcliffeâs senses arenât what they used to be, but her mind is âvery sharp,â according to Mason. Sutcliffe is now the seventh oldest person in the world, according to researchers. âThelma is as determined as ever to do what she wants to do,â her friend said. Americaâs oldest person wants the same thing as everyone else â for the pandemic to end.Â
 What worrying does to your body.
When you worry, your body responds to your anxiety the same way it would react to physical danger. To help you cope with the physical demands you are about to ask your body to perform, your brain releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. It is widely accepted that stress and anxiety can lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to picking up colds or more serious illnesses.Â
If your body is affected by the physical effects of worry, it may not fight germs as well. Just thinking about things that made you angry or depressed in the past can take a toll. It can make it harder for you to fend off the flu, herpes, shingles, and other viruses.Â
With excessive worry, our immune systems have little time to recover so you become even more tired and lethargic. This messaging network is made up of your brain, spinal cord, nerves, and special cells called neurons. Worrying too much can trigger it to release “stress hormones” that speed up your heart rate and breathing, raise your blood sugar, and send more blood to your arms and legs. Over time, this can affect your heart, blood vessels, muscles, and other systems.Â
When youâre troubled about something, muscles in your shoulder and neck
can tense up, and that can lead to migraines or tension headaches. Massage or relaxation techniques, like deep breathing and yoga, may help. If youâre worried a lot, you might breathe more deeply or more often without realizing it. While this usually isnât a big deal, it can be serious if you already have breathing problems linked to asthma, lung disease, or other conditions.Â
If it sticks around long enough, something as small as a nagging concern in the back of your mind can affect your heart. It can make you more likely to have high blood pressure, a heart attack, or a stroke. Higher levels of anxiety can trigger those stress hormones that make your heart beat faster and harder. If that happens over and over, your blood vessels may get inflamed, which can lead to hardened artery walls, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and other problems.Â
When youâre worried about something, stress hormones give you a burst of fuel (in the form of blood sugar). This can be a good thing if you need to run from danger, but what happens if you donât use that fuel? Your body normally stores it to use later. But sometimes, if youâre overweight or have diabetes, for example, your blood sugar can stay too high for too long. This can lead to heart disease, strokes, or kidney disease.
You may feel âbutterfliesâ in your stomach when youâre nervous — in more serious times, you may feel nauseous or even vomit. If this happens often, it can lead to stomach pain and sores in your stomach lining (ulcers). And if you eat a lot of foods high in fat and sugar, your stomach has to work harder to digest them, and that makes more acid. This can cause acid reflux — when acid flows up into your throat.
Constant fretting can affect your bowel habits — you could have diarrhea
or find it hard to go to the bathroom. Diet, exercise, and over-the-counter medicines can often help, but you might be able to keep these problems from happening if you find ways to calm your anxiety. Worry can tire you out and distract you so youâre less interested in sex. Over the long term, it can lower a manâs levels of the sex hormone testosterone.Â
That can affect sperm development and slow or stop their bodyâs normal response when they want to have sex. For women who have gone through menopause, it can make hot flashes and sleep issues worse. You donât have to be in a scary situation to have a panic attack. You could be on a hike, at a restaurant, or asleep in bed. All of a sudden you get a strong surge of fear.
This triggers physical symptoms like a pounding heart, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, or trembling. It can last 5 to 20 minutes.Â
Once you learn to recognize when attacks are coming on, you can find ways to stop them. Itâs understandable that youâd want to avoid a panic attack at all costs. But itâs important not to let fear control your life. For example, donât avoid places where youâve had panic attacks in the past. If you have one, stay where you are, if itâs safe. When the attack is over, youâll realize that nothing terrible happened.
Live Your Life
When you feel a panic attack coming on, remind yourself that youâre feeling anxiety, and not real danger. You can even try directly addressing the fear. Practice a go-to response Talk to Yourself: like, âI am not afraidâ or âThis will pass.â and as tempting as it may be to try to focus your mind elsewhere,
the healthiest way to deal with a panic attack is to acknowledge it.
Donât Distract Yourself, Try not to fight your symptoms.
But keep reminding yourself that it will pass.
Breathe Through It
An attack may make you take quick, shallow breaths, so get your breathing under control. Close your eyes. Put your hand between your bellybutton and the bottom of your ribs. Inhale through your nose slowly and deeply. Then let all that air out gently through your mouth. Youâll feel the hand on your belly rise and fall. If it helps, you can count from 1 to 5 on each inhale and exhale. After a few minutes, you should start to feel better.
Keep Your Mind in the Present
Notice five things you can see around you. Then, four things you can touch. Three things you can hear. Two things you smell. One thing you taste. When you stay grounded in whatâs going on around you, it gives your mind something better to do than focus on fear or bounce from one worry to the next. When you think a negative thought, punish yourself about three positive things about your life.
H.A.L.T. Your Attack
H.A.L.T. stands for hungry, angry, lonely, tired — four feelings that bring out the worst in everyone. If youâre prone to panic attacks, they can turn into triggers. When symptoms pop up, check in with yourself: Am I hungry?
Am I angry? Once you pinpoint whatâs going on, you can take steps to fix it. Rate Your Fear: When fear scrambles your mind, rate it on a scale of one to 10 every few minutes. This keeps you in the present moment. Itâs also a good reminder that youâre not on a 10 the whole time.
Progressive Relaxation
When you feel a panic attack coming on — or are in the middle of one — tense one muscle at a time and then relax it. Repeat this everywhere until your whole body is relaxed.  Stop the âWhat Ifsâ  Panic attacks feed on thoughts of âwhat if.â What if I canât do it? What if I run into my ex? What if everyone laughs at me? Acknowledge that fear, then shift from âwhat ifâ to âso what?â
Sometimes the worst-case scenario isnât as bad as it seems.
Careful With Coffee, Booze, Smoking
Caffeine can make you feel nervous and shaky. It can also keep you awake, which can trigger tiredness later. Nicotine and alcohol can make you feel calm at first, then make you jittery as your body processes it. All three can trigger panic attacks or make them worse. Itâs best to avoid them.
Make Time to Exercise
Physical activity lowers stress, which is one of the main causes of panic attacks. A workout, especially the kind that gets your heart pumping, can also get you to a calmer place. Canât work in a workout? Even a 10-minute walk can help.  Slow your body down, and your mind will follow. Practices like yoga and tai chi use slow body movements and train the mind to be calm and aware.
Having it MADE means: Managing Attitude, Diet & Exercise…Â Â
31 Surprising Signs You’ll Live to 100 (msn.com)
Kelly Clarkson Shares Lesson She’s Learned After Split From Husband Brandon Blackstock (ibtimes.com)