Mary Ann Pawless, like millions of Americans, wonders how Katie Thurston’s journey will end this season on “The Bachelorette.”
The dating show is one of several shows the Lawton woman looks forward to watching each week, but that hobby was at risk because of her struggles with macular degeneration, a common eye disorder among people over age 50 that causes blurred or reduced central vision.
Pawless sought help with her vision issues from the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services’ Older Blind Independent Living Program. The staff teach independent living skills, adaptive aids and alternate techniques. Areas of support include help with reading tasks, time telling, name signing, orientation and mobility for clients in their home and community. Clients are also taught money identification and management, recreation and leisure activities and multiple independent living skills.
Pawless demonstrated how she uses a handheld magnifier with a light to read an adjustable magnifying glasses that enable her to watch her favorite TV shows including the ABC reality series. Each week she follows along as the men wait to see who will not receive the final rose and are sent home.
“For a while there it was, poor me,” Pawless said. “I didn’t have the desire to try to do too much. I just kind of scooted around, but now it’s kind of like a whole new world they’ve opened up for me. I used to get kind of depressed, but that’s very rare now because I stay busy at home and doing the yard.”
DRS also helped in other areas of her life. Pawless has black tabs on her stove and microwave that help her identify numbers and has a pair of elbow length oven mitts to prevent accidentally burning her arm while using the oven. She also listens to audiobooks from the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a program associated with Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired that provides audio books and audio equipment.
The Oklahoma Older Blind Independent Program provides one-on-one teaching for Oklahomans ages 55 and older who are struggling with vision loss and blindness. A large percentage of the staff are blind or have low vision and are located in offices throughout the state to help individuals regain their independence in a safe and efficient way at no cost to the client.
Pawless’ rehabilitation teacher Pam Holloway is also blind. Holloway helped Pawless to be creative around her house, such as using a rubber band to identify her shampoo and conditioner. Pawless’ orientation and mobility specialist Liz Scheffe taught her how to navigate outside and use her white cane. With her newfound independence, Pawless is now able to live life to the fullest again and has recovered from the depression that came with losing most of her vision.
Pawless, her husband and dog, Biscuit, live in a cabin with a beautiful garden across from Mount Scott. Her hobbies include listening to audiobooks, cooking and working in her garden. She enjoys spending time with her grandson and neighbors.
“The Older Blind program means that our staff can give something to older blind individuals that they might not get anywhere else, and that is their independence to perform tasks for themselves,” Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired Field Services Coordinator Teresa McDermott said. “There is nothing more joyous than to hear a client say they never thought they would be able to read a piece of mail or a medicine label again, or cook a meal on the stove, but they can now, as a result of services from our staff.”
For more information about DRS services, call 800-845-8476 during business hours to be transferred to the nearest office or visit:
https://oklahoma.gov/okdrs/independence/blind/older-blind.html.
The Older Blind Independent Living Program is part of the Service for the Blind and Visually impaired division of DRS, a state agency that assists Oklahomans with disabilities through vocational rehabilitation, education, employment, independent living programs and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits. Last year, DRS served more than 76,000 Oklahomans.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Although this is July, seniors trying to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions need to book now if they plan to use the two free entry days in our National Parks in August.
The National Park System is one option for outdoor experiences but booking early is critical because pent-up demand is creating a scarcity at premium destinations. Some parks accommodations may already be full.
One example is the lodges at Glacier National Park in Montana often must be booked a year in advance but there can sometimes be accommodations available outside the park.
Ranked fifteenth in size of all our parks and as close as the state next door, Big Bend National Park in far southwest Texas offers 801,163 acres of many things to do.
“I believe the best time of year to visit Big Bend is in the winter to avoid the heat, but it can be very warm even in winter and not too cold for camping under the stars. The spring and the two free dates in the fall are other options, but it can also be crowded then,” said Rob Walker, 66, retired Edmond kayaking and Jeeping enthusiast. “Some people will see free entry as tipping the scale toward going even in August. You should prepare for the heat for long hikes in the day.”
On two days in August, all National Park Service sites charging an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Seniors without the Lifetime Senior pass need to be mindful of these entrance fee–free dates: August 4th, the one-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act and August 25th, the National Park Service’s birthday.
“Remember Big Bend is a desert park with summer temps over most of the park reaching 100 degrees by late morning,” Walker said. “The heat is at dangerous levels until after sunset. Hikers should stay off the trails in the afternoon, while carrying and drinking plenty of water any time they hike any distance.”
Tourists might want to join the group of people sitting on a bench watching Old Faithful erupt in the cooler climate of Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in Wyoming.
For two days in August entry to the park is free, but the place will be packed. Tourists might want to scale back their demand to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions this August closer to home.
A ten-hour car trip from Oklahoma City, Big Bend is too big to see in a day. A one-day trip inside the huge park mostly in an air-conditioned car might include a trip down the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and a visit to the Chisos Basin.
The scenic drive gives visitors ample views of the Chihuahuan Desert landscape and leads the banks of the Rio Grande River. There are scenic overlooks and exhibits along the way for the history buffs. The drive offers short walks to Sam Nail Ranch, Homer Wilson Ranch and a visit to the Castolon Historic District which affords a glimpse into the area’s past.
At the end of the road is a highlight of the trip—a short walk into Santa Elena Canyon—one of Big Bend’s most scenic spots. It is an easy 1.4-mile round-trip hike.
Visitors may also visit the forested Chisos Mountains and walk the 0.3-mile Window View Trail to get a feel for the mountain scenery. If time allows, consider hiking the Window Trail or Lost Mine Trail for a closer look at Big Bend’s mountain landscapes.
The Chisos Mountain Lodge is operating at reduced capacity, while the Panther Junction Gas Station and Basin Store are open daily. The Mountain View Restaurant inside the lodge offers lunch. Guests there must be registered in the park, and it is probably already full. They are currently providing sack lunches to go or deliveries to registered guest.
The award-winning Fossil Discovery Exhibit eight miles north of Panther Junction is another park highlight visitors often fit into a one-day visit. If grandkids are along, they will enjoy it.
Abandoned since the 1940s, the Mariscal Mine is isolated by its remote location in the middle of the park. It takes much longer to drive the rough road in a normal car. It is the best-preserved mercury mining site in Texas. The area is a listed historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Best to avoid it if the day is windy and dusty, as it is a mercury contaminated site.
Black Gap Road is one of only two Jeep Badge of Honor Trails in Texas. The most remote un-maintained road in the park, Black Gap provides visitors scenic views of the Chisos Mountain Range as well as wide-open vistas of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Two more days in 2021 offer the same no-fee privilege, September 25, National Public Lands Day and November 11, Veterans Day.
After more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions and limited travel, surging attendance figures across US national parks show Americans are eager to get back on the road and explore.
Often described as America’s best idea, there are 432 National Park System parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days offer a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite. This is especially true if it is one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. There are only 10 national parks that charge no entry fees year round. The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
The surge to get outdoors after COVID-19 is why this article runs in July, as many seniors need to get busy planning if they are going to take advance of the August free days but do not be surprised if the parks have no available accommodations in the park and those outside the park may be filling fast.

Yellowstone hosted 483,159 recreation visits this May, an 11 percent increase from pre-COVID 19 May 2019 (434,385 recreation visits). This makes this May the park’s most visited May on record, according to a park news release. With the spreading of some of the new variants it is best to continue taking precautions.

The Cowboy Museum is celebrating the diversity of the American West with two upcoming exhibitions spotlighting Mexican and northward migration. “Viva Mexico!”, on exhibit July 9 – October 17 and Find Your North, on exhibit August 20 – October 17, use images, artifacts, maps and stories to share the influence the people “south of the border” had on cowboy and Western culture.
“The American West was and continues to be built on diversity of thought and experience,” said Natalie Shirley, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum President and CEO. “It was an embodiment of a shared hope and future, even for those for whom the west was actually north.”
This year marks the bicentennial of Mexican Independence from Spain in 1821, an event that played a significant role in the history of Central America to Western Canada. After Mexico gained independence, the nation retained its cultural mexcla of Spanish, criollo, African, mestizo and native Mexican traditions, eventually bringing them to the North and creating the American Cowboy. Both exhibitions will be open during National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated annually September 15 – October 15.
“Viva Mexico!” highlights how hombres a caballo (horsemen) affected key historical events like Mexican Independence, the Texas Revolution, Mexican War and the Mexican Revolution through artifacts, art objects, and photographs. The exhibition showcases how Mexican culture, faith, food, popular culture, and trade contributed to and continues to shape the Americas we know today.
Find Your North shows how a change in perspective can highlight different histories. The exhibition will focus on Hispanic experiences and influence on the borderlands. Diverse archival materials and collections preserved in the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center will be highlighted.
For more information on “Viva Mexico!” and Find Your North, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/all-exhibitions.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

For Oklahoma senior bicycle riders who became serious riders during COVID-19 the 40th Anniversary Hotter’N Hell 100 (HHH) the weekend of August 26-29 in Wichita Falls, Texas can be a post COVID celebration.
As the largest century ride in the nation, for the retirement privileged crowd the event can be likened to the crowded spectacle of Woodstock in the 1960s. Participants select from several distances to ride in the August heat at one of best supported bicycle rides attended by more than 10,000 riders. It has seen 14,000 some years.
The event is so big no article can describe everything on offer for attendees to do and see. There are more than 100 committee members who put on the event. It features more than one thousand volunteers during the weekend. The HHH website offers a 51-page downloadable Ride Guide at https://tinyurl.com/z7633umv
Besides being the best attended, it is the safest, best supported and most robust century ride including the largest bicycle consumer show available every year. The booths feature new bicycle innovations and major manufacturers starting Friday, running through Saturday.
“If you have time, it’s fun to explore the area. You can ride to Lake Wichita on trails or explore Lucy Park,” said Dixie Duff, a retired OKC nurse who has ridden HHH nine times. “The HHH is not a time to try new food or drink, especially if you are doing it the first time, but they do a great job of offering many choices.”
Duff also said to not let the 100 miles in the event name scare riders off. The ride offers lesser mile courses with huge rest stops with medical support and Support and Gear (SAG) support throughout the courses. Info is available at Hotter’N Hell (hh100.org).
All this just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from OKC. The distance is 140 miles using I 44 through Lawton.
Beginning Saturday at 7 a.m., cyclists of all ages are welcome to ride the classic HHH endurance ride with 10K, 25-mile distances for younger cyclists, 50 mile, 100K, 75 mile and the namesake100-mile route. Adjacent to the HHH ride finish the organizers stage USA Cycling criterium races Saturday and Sunday.
While more than 10,000 cyclists descend on Wichita Falls the event offers tent camping close in where thousands of people camp out in tents the night before. Shower facilities opening Friday night for the campers are open 24 hours till after the event so riders can shower near the start/finish area before they begin their trip home.
Bicycle clubs from surrounding states often rent buses and stay as far away as Lawton, Okla. or closer-in cities, filling up those accommodations. They get up early Saturday to take their bus into Wichita Falls to stage for the start.
One thing does live up to its name being in Texas in August—so most of the riders shy away from the 100-mile course. Cycling skills, training, and resolve will be tested. This is not an ordinary ride. Fuel for cycling is available at a huge spaghetti dinner and a pre-ride breakfast buffet.
The start for the ride is staged by those riding the longest distances at the front. For some people, the start itself is a party where they meet with friends beginning at 4 a.m. They are soon joined by 10,000+ other riders who have trained to complete their chosen distances.
For those people who are riding the middle distances the start is just as exciting. Again its anticipation is the specialness of having attended the Woodstock music festival.
All that pent up human energy is unleashed after the National Anthem, U.S. Air Force Fly Over and cannon blast. Many say to experience the excitement of a start of a major organized ride, the best place to see it is at the HHH.
Seniors new to the sport will want to attend the 2021 HHH Science of Cycling Symposium: From Lab to the Road featuring tips for cyclists riding the HHH. Area experts will present 30-to-45-minute presentations designed to be easy to understand. The free Symposium runs from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Friday in the MPEC amphitheater. No registration is required. A question-and-answer period will follow each talk.
The great routes; friendly, well-supplied rest stops; a staff of nearly 1,000 dedicated professional medical support; and a fleet of SAG wagons awaits. HHH provides riders with every chance to achieve their goals in the brutal North Texas heat and wind—while having a safe and memorable experience accomplishing them.
No matter how far seniors ride it is about the camaraderie of riding along with thousands of other bicyclists who are enjoying a lifelong sport providing a wonderful health benefit without the overuse injuries of many of the other endurance sports.

The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) is seeking performers and vendors for its upcoming Folklife Festival to be held October 16, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This community-wide event will celebrate and recognize what the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has called “the everyday and intimate creativity that all of us share and pass on to the next generation.” The “creativity” mentioned will come in the form of dancing, singing, crafts, food and much more. The Folklife Festival will be open to the public and held predominantly outdoors at the OHC, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
Already scheduled to participate are: Oklahoma Farm Bureau; Angels Modeling and Dance Studio; Eterna Primavera Folklore Guatemalteco; Southwest Dairy; “Traditional Music of the Open Prairie” with Wayne Cantwell; 3J Farms; 145th Army Band; and Thick Descriptions. Also, the Oklahoma Pork Council will be giving away a new roaster/smoker.
If you are interested in participating in the OHC’s Folklife Festival as a performance act or vendor, please complete the application form found at www.okhistory.org/historycenter/folklifesignup.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

‘Do Good Twice’ by supporting local groups in Oklahoma while sharing the mission to Remember, Honor, Teach

Throughout the month of July, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) will be featuring its annual Giving in July campaign — a month dedicated to the groups and individuals giving back in their communities while helping to share the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.
Locally, groups like Roll To Wreaths Riders 4 Vets, Riverside Flight Civil Air Patrol, Broken Arrow Creek Chapter NSDAR, and Catholic War Veterans USA OK Memorial Post 168 among those hundreds of sponsorship groups raising funds through the sale of wreaths sponsorships to support its efforts.
Since its founding in 2007, WAA has partnered with hundreds of like-minded charities, community programs, and civic groups throughout the country to remember and honor our nation’s veterans and active duty military all year long. Giving in July celebrates these groups and highlights the opportunity to ‘do good twice’ through the sponsorship of veterans’ wreaths through the organization’s Group Sponsorship Program. Through the program, donations received in fact ‘do good twice’ because WAA gives back $5 of each $15 wreath sponsorship made to support the local group’s own mission, which include programs helping veterans, military families, youth and more, in communities across the country.
Through this national program, WAA has given back nearly $15 million in local contributions over the last 13 years!
“I have long said, it would be disingenuous for us as an organization whose mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom, if we do not support other like-minded programs doing just that in their communities,” said WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester. “Our Group Sponsorship Program is a year-round effort, but through Giving in July we hope to remind people that veterans and our current military serve and protect us 365 days a year and it is never too early to make a difference in your own community.”
This year, more than 2,500 cemeteries will participate in National Wreaths Across America Day, including locations in (Macomb Oklahoma Area Cemeteries-Roll to Wreaths Riders 4 Vets, Memorial Park Cemetery, Floral Haven Cemetery , and Sunny Lane Cemetery) – Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 – and thousands of local Sponsorship Groups are working in their communities to raises funds and awareness to honor the local servicemembers with the placement of veterans’ wreaths made of fresh Maine balsam.
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

Kristi Cormack was at a Galentine’s event in February 2020 with a group of friends when she said it hit her; she was too exhausted to stay. The 30-year-old went home and slept for three days. She had no history of health issues and didn’t know she’d soon be diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
“I couldn’t go to work on Monday and the only excuse I had was that I was tired,” Cormack said. “It was a kind of tired I’d never experienced before.”
She called her primary care physician and, at first, they thought it was a virus. Kristi had a gut feeling it was more serious and requested blood work. The test revealed her instinct was right. After a CT scan and biopsy, Kristi’s medical team at Mercy had a better picture of what was wrong.
“I’ll never forget that call at 4:45 p.m. March 26, 2020,” Cormack said. “They called to tell me that it was cancer. Nothing can ever prepare you for that phone call.”
She immediately grabbed a notepad and started writing down any words she could comprehend. It was an aggressive form of spindle cell sarcoma. A six-pound tumor was growing from her pancreas.
“You hear all these words and you don’t have a clue about the weight of them,” Cormack said. “You don’t know what walking through treatment and chemotherapy means.”
Because less than 40 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this type of sarcoma, the oncology team at Mercy collaborated with their peers across the country. They sent Cormack’s scans to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School for review.
“Kristi is a special case,” said Dr. Christian Ellis, surgical oncologist at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “She had a bad situation. The location of her tumor and the fact that she is so young are very rare.”
It was a lot to process, but the timing created an additional challenge. All of this was happening when the world was first learning of COVID-19 and everything began to shut down.
“I went in for my biopsy the day the Oklahoma City Thunder had the first COVID case, and the NBA shut down,” Cormack said. “I remember waking up that evening and thinking, ‘What world did I wake up in?’”
Her initial consultation about removing the tumor happened in early April via video conference. That’s when she met Dr. Christian Ellis. He was the first person to explain the gravity of the surgery and that it could mean life or death.
“I remember sitting with my mom at home, seeing the CT scans on the video and Dr. Ellis walking me through the scans, talking me through surgery, the impact on each organ – the colon, small intestine, my spleen, stomach and pancreas – and what that would mean for me post-operation,” she said.
She was overwhelmed and told him she couldn’t make her decision without meeting in person. He told her to come down to the office right away.
At an in-person meeting, Dr. Ellis encouraged her to seek a second opinion. He was confident he could do the surgery, but Cormack said he wanted her to feel confident in him and the plan of action.
“He said if it’s crossed your mind at all, I want you to get a second opinion,” Cormack said. “He told me you deserve to explore all of your options and feel confident before you step into something this big.”
Cormack said she was relieved the second opinion confirmed Dr. Ellis’ course of action and helped her remove all the ‘what ifs.’
Family and friends camped out in the parking lot of the hospital while she endured what could have been an eight-hour surgery. A nurse called them hourly with updates and after just four hours, the surgery was complete. Dr. Ellis removed her spleen, two-thirds of her pancreas and all of the tumor. He told her anxious family he was pleased with how well it went.
“I woke up in the ICU and just screamed, ‘I’m alive, I made it, I’m alive,’” Cormack said.
After she recovered from surgery, Cormack began six rounds of an aggressive form of chemotherapy that required a five-day inpatient stay at Mercy every 21 days. She was relieved she could have one visitor during her treatments.
On Oct. 29, Kristi finished her last round of chemo. The fourth floor nurses cheered and sang to her as she left the unit when she was ready for discharge. Her mom drove her around to the back of the hospital to the Coletta Building, where Mercy’s outpatient oncology services are housed. She pulled up to the building to shouts of “ring that bell.”
She rang the bell outside of the Coletta Building, surrounded by family and friends, to signify the end of her cancer treatment. They celebrated the end of a long, hard journey.
“Kristi had all the ups and downs of a young person who was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, but our multidisciplinary team at Mercy walked her through the entire process,” Dr. Ellis said. “She did very well, and she is cancer free today.”

Dear Savvy Senior, I spend a lot of time online and love the convenience of paying bills, shopping, and keeping up with my grandkids on Facebook and Instagram. But last month my computer was infected with malware, and I just found out some cybercriminal opened up a credit card using my identity and went on a shopping spree. Do you have some simple tips to help me stay safe while online? Violated in OKC

Dear Violated,
Unfortunately, cybercrimes against seniors has become a huge problem in the U.S. According to FBI data, last year alone more than 1.8 billion was stolen from unsuspecting older Americans during the pandemic.
While anyone can be subject to cybercrimes, seniors are frequent targets because they tend to be more trusting and have more money than their younger counterparts. But there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from online fraud, hacking and scams. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Strengthen your passwords: A strong password should contain at least seven characters and include numbers and a special character, like an exclamation point or asterisk. Be sure to change up your password across different sites to ensure a hacker would not gain access to all accounts through one password. And keep a written list of all your passwords stored in a safe secure place.
On your smartphone or tablet, be sure to set up a four or six-digit PIN to protect your device.
Opt out of pop-ups: To protect yourself from computer viruses and other forms of malware, make it a habit to avoid any pop-up style message when you’re on the web. Sometimes hackers disguise their malware as pop-up advertisements or “special offers” when you’re shopping or reading online. Clicking on these pop-ups can lead to viruses or data breaches.
If you encounter a suspicious pop-up message, don’t click on anything in the window. Simply leave the site or close out of your web browser.
When in doubt, throw it out: Sometimes online hackers will send you an email or text message and pretend to be someone they’re not in order to convince you to share valuable information with them, such as your Social Security Number, address or credit card information. This is called phishing.
If you receive a message from an unknown sender, do not respond or click on any links or attachments. Instead, either ignore the message or delete it.

Share with care: There is such a thing as oversharing, and it definitely applies to online profiles. On social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, online hackers can easily gather information about you from what you post – like where you live.
Ensure that your privacy settings are up to date so that only people who follow you or are your Facebook friend can see your posts.
Verify websites: Before you shop or access your bank online, double check the validity of the website you’re using. A good rule of thumb is to check the beginning of the web address and look for an ‘s’ at the end of https: at the start of the address. The ‘s’ stands for secure, and if you don’t see it in the web address that you’re on, you should not trust that website with your passwords, payment or banking information.
Have some back-up: Practicing safe habits will protect you and your information, but you don’t have to rely on just yourself to stay safe. Anti-virus software works in the background to protect your computer from a variety of malware and helps to make it easier for you to avoid threats while surfing the web.
For more information on how to safeguard your personal technology devices, Cox Communications offers a variety of tips and solutions at Cox.com – search “security.”

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

As little as 130 calories per day could make a significant impact on your cardiovascular health.
That’s approximately how many calories are in about 2.5 cups of strawberries. And it’s the amount a new study led by Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D., found is needed to lessen our risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
“This is the ideal health finding,” said Scofield, a physician and medical researcher in OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. “Strawberries don’t require a prescription, and they’re available year-round.”
Previous work in Scofield’s lab showed that strawberries could have a positive impact on health. But in the new study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers were surprised to find that such a reasonable amount of the berries could make a difference.
Scofield found that in people with obesity, the daily consumption of 32 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder mixed with water (the equivalent of about 14 oz. of fresh strawberries) lowered participants’ blood glucose, improved good lipids and reduced LDL cholesterol, all factors for heart attack and stroke. Study participants also showed improved insulin resistance, an underlying cause of Type 2 diabetes.
But like the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, the researchers found the natural compounds in strawberries to be most beneficial when consumed as part of a whole.
“We know that eating fish has more health benefits than taking fish oil pills. This appears to be the same for strawberries,” said Scofield, noting that freeze-dried, powdered berries retain the nutrients of fresh berries. “We aren’t certain why, but it supports the idea that eating real, whole foods is important.”
Scofield’s lab has previously shown that strawberries are an effective anti-inflammatory measure to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis, the leading cause of disability and joint replacements in adults in the U.S.
“The idea that strawberries have anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy compounds is not new, but applying the benefits directly to specific diseases is,” said Scofield. “The bottom line is to eat well. We’re supposed to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day. This is just one more indicator that the benefits of that are real.”
Scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas contributed to the work. The research was supported by National Institutes of Health grant Nos. U54GM104938 and 5P20GM109025 and institutional funds from OUHSC and UNLV.

By Nick Thomas

When British author Roald Dahl’s beloved 1988 novel “Matilda” was transformed into a fantasy comedy movie a decade later, the film became hugely popular. It remains an enjoyable family movie to watch with children and grandchildren today, 25 years after its release in July of 1996.
Filled with memorable characters including a callous and dishonest family as well as a tyrannical school principal, Matilda was portrayed by adorable child actor Mara Wilson who battles and eventually overcomes adversity. It was one of four films in the 90s that made Wilson famous. Matilda, she says, was a role she was thrilled to play.
“It was my first favorite book,” she told me in a 2017 interview. “The film became a touchstone for girls who grew up feeling a little awkward and out of place and could relate to the Matilda character. When I was little and people would recognize me at the airport, park, or mall, I used to think ‘Why do they care?’ But I’ve come to realize how important some films can be to people.”
Despite the popularity of the spirited little actress in the additional 90s hits “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the remake of “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “A Simple Wish,” Wilson had slipped from the public spotlight by the decade’s end – an exile that was largely self-imposed.
“I grew out of that cute stage and didn’t develop into the classic Hollywood beauty as I got older,” she explained. “I didn’t like being reduced to adjectives – you’re thin or short or tall or blonde – and was no longer comfortable going to auditions. I still do some fun TV or web projects for friends and I love voice-over work because no one is judging how I look or how many times a week I workout!”
One actor she fondly remembers during her early career was Robin Williams during the filming of “Mrs. Doubtfire” who she says was “kind and gentle, but rather shy which is not uncommon for actors.” Not surprisingly, he was usually hilarious on the set and responded in typical Williams’ style when she told him of her fondness for musicals such as “The Sound of Music” and “South Pacific.”
“So he started singing ‘Nothing Like a Dame,’ which was funny because there he was, a man dressed like a woman singing there was nothing like being a woman!”
While her films from the 90s were largely comedic or sentimental, Wilson remains proud that her Matilda character has helped kids overcome abuse.
“They were living in abusive families or with parents who didn’t care about them, and the movie showed them there was a way out and that they could find people who cared. So it’s a comforting movie about feeling powerless, then finding power. People write to me all the time about the impact it had on their lives and I love that.”
Wilson’s autobiography, “Where Am I Now? – True Stories Of Girlhood And Accidental Fame,” was published in 2016.
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers.