One woman is having more than just a birthday in 2017, she's hitting a milestone that many of us reach for. Edna Mae Leak turns 100 today.
Born in 1917, Leak has seen and heard it all.
When asked how she feels, she's more than coherent, she's still sharp as a tack in her old age and answers, "Oh, I feel pretty good," she said.
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Lila Cabbil, Edna's daughter said that her mom has always had a generous nature.
"She took care of strangers from all over the country, she would serve them biscuits,” Lila said to Fox 2 Detroit.
Lila says she used to always feed and take care of all of the kids in the neighborhood. Their house was the one that kids would want to come over and eat. Edna says she still cooks cakes and pies with her specialty being chocolate.
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She was born in North Carolina but grew up in Detroit. Edna is no stranger to having a lot of people around her. She was married for 65 years and had 10 children. Five are living today.
Edna loves politics and has plenty of birthday honors. She has never missed a vote.
"Politics these days, they've got to get together," Edna said. "(They are) too separated and not doing anything."
Today, Edna lives with her daughter but she comes to PACE, a program designed to keep aging seniors in their own home. It is funded by Medicare and Medicaid.
When asked what her secret to living a long life, Edna didn't hesistate to say, "Stay off the liquor bottle and take care of your family."
Edna joins a list of centenarians or people who live to be 100. Genetics and behaviors do play roles in determining...
... why some people live to be 100 or older while others don’t, but they aren’t guarantees. And now, as increasing numbers are reaching triple digits, figuring out the mysteries of longevity has taken on new importance among researchers.
Although those 100 and older make up a tiny segment of America’s population, U.S. Census reports show that centenarian ranks are growing. Between 1980 and 2010, the numbers rose from 32,194 to 53,364, an increase of almost 66%. The latest population estimate, released in July 2015, reflects 76,974 centenarians.
“The number of centenarians in the U.S. and other countries has been doubling roughly every eight years,” said James Vaupel, founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany.
“When the Baby Boomers hit, there’s going to be acceleration, and it might be doubling every five or six years,” he said.
