Story by Darl DeVault and Robin Maxey

Caring for his mother, who provided one of the best starts in life he says, is routine at age 64 for Ted Cox, who set the record for the best hitting start in Major League Baseball. He moved from his family home in Midwest City he and his wife Debbie share, to a room in his mother’s home he grew up in 19 months ago to be her live-in caregiver.
His mother, Ernestine Cox, is 91 years old and legally blind. His father Virgil died in January of 2013 at 94.
Every day, Cox helps dress and feed her. His son Joe and his wife Samantha also aid in this effort. Cox usually prepares her to travel the two miles on the three days a week she receives dialysis at a center in Midwest City.
She receives physical therapy twice a week in the home and has difficulty remembering life’s details, such as taking her medicine. Some days Cox has to remind her of her schedule, such as when the nurse will arrive and the home health worker to bathe her.
Cox began as the caregiver to his parents by assuming these same duties for a year before his father died. He says he is happy to assume these duties, as his mother gave him one of the best starts any son could ask for in Midwest City in the early 1960s. His mother took him to practices when Cox started playing sports at seven years old.
“I can afford to take care of my mom while my wife Debbie since 1974 is much happier of the two of us to still be working.” Cox said recently. “My mom supported us kids in our sports and I had some baseball talent that allowed me to have a little more life experience than most. Giving her this personal care is all a part of being a good son to a loved one.”
Cox said every year during September, he hears from his circle of friends who remind him about his baseball record. This also makes him think how blessed his start in life was, with his mother’s support.
His mother made sure Cox made it to football and basketball practices before he settled on baseball. While learning to play baseball in school, he was also a three-sport star. He was the starting quarterback and point guard for his high school basketball team.
He became one of the best high school baseball players in Oklahoma by his senior year in 1973. His outstanding play on the Midwest City High School baseball team catapulted him into the Boston Red Sox farm system right out of high school.
There he was fortunate to have another mentor help him have a great start. Future National Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams, known as the greatest hitter ever in MLB history, taught him to hit even better.
Williams was a Red Sox special coach every Fall in the Florida Instructional League who showed Cox plenty of attention. Cox climbed the minor-league ladder, stepping up a class each year under Williams watchful eye.
“From first meeting Williams in 1974 at Fall Instructional (League) after first joining the Red Sox, the importance of those conversations really began during my first big league spring training in 1976,” Cox said last week. “Williams liked to hang out at the batting cages observing our swings, sometimes making really loud comments over the background noise.”
The legendary Williams’ suggestions had an immediate impact on the young athlete’s future. “Williams showed me and strongly suggested I try a couple of things,” Cox said. “Those tips certainly helped as I saw instant improvement in my ability to drive the ball into the outfield.”
He became a more productive and powerful hitter throughout his climb thanks to Williams’ coaching. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds by 1977, he evolved into a skilled hitter with a major-league swing with the help of coaches Williams and Johnny Pesky.
William “Ted” Cox started his MLB career for the Boston Red Sox with a best of all-time hitting performance in September of 1977. Cox established the MLB rookie debut hitting record by hitting safely in his first six at-bats in his first two games. Of the 19,000 players who have started MLB careers, his six consecutive hits at the start of his career is still the record for 150 years of organized baseball, 42 seasons later.
“Successful hitters have extraordinary eyesight, reflexes and reaction time to go with great hand-eye coordination,” Cox said. “But all that won’t get you on base unless you hit the ball. For that you need real major league coaching to help you develop a swing so fluid that every pitch they want to throw is your favorite pitch to hit.”
He went on the play five years and for two other teams, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Forty-two years later Cox is retired and living in the family home he grew up in while taking care of his mother Ernestine in Midwest City.
Writer’s Note: In celebration of the Washington Nationals winning their first World Series in franchise history Wednesday night, Senior News and Living provides baseball fans the full story of Ted Cox’s historic first two games online in an expanded version of this story. Please go to okveterannews.com for full details of each of his first six hits.

A change of weather and watching the grounds how they change. Jan Welch

It’s in March – but, we’ll be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. I think we’re going to make it. Nancy Markum

Ballgames with OU – football and then basketball season. Todd Markum

The only project I have going is feeding the ducks. Frank Kalies

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Ten years now and closing in on $100,000 raised for Alzheimer’s research and Joan Clarke knows her mission is nowhere near complete.
It’s been 12 years since Alzheimer’s claimed Clarke’s husband.
And for the past decade she’s used the Santa Market Craft Show to honor his memory and push the needle forward on Alzheimer’s research.
“Our family has taken to do this as a positive response to a horrific disease,” Clarke said recently on the anniversary of her husband’s death. “The kids work. The spouses work. Even the grandkids work handing out bags.”
“For us it helps. I like to hope we’re helping other people and making a difference.”
It’s estimated that every 65 seconds another person learns they have the terminal condition which robs them of their identities.
While the disease keeps growing – now registering as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States – the support for the Santa Market Craft Show benefiting Alzheimer’s research is booming.
LONG TIME COMING
For the past nine years the Santa Market has been housed in the Downtown Edmond Community Center.
The show proudly boasted 18 vendor tables that first year.
“We were just a little show trying to get started,” said Clarke, who organizes the event with daughter Megan Nye and Megan’s mother-in-law Molly.
Last year the event took up the entire upstairs, downstairs and – with 101 vendors – poured onto the lawn of the community center in Edmond.
According to the family’s best estimates some 4,000 people attended last year’s market, which focuses on hand-made items perfect for holiday giving.
A new venue was a must so Clarke decided to “go big or go home” and booked space at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
The Pavilion Building will host this year’s Santa Market Craft Show on November 23 beginning at 9 a.m.
Sponsors have already responded, footing the bill for both admission and parking for attendees.
“We’ve never jumped the gun. We’ve steadily progressed,” Clarke says. “We’ve steadily gotten more sponsors, steadily gotten more people involved and raised more money each year.”
“I feel like we’re paced ourselves really well.”
The steady growth has resulted in some $93,000 raised for Alzheimer’s research. Clarke said the event has already raised $4,000 in sponsorship including Diamond Level Sponsorship by Oklahoma’s Senior News and Living.
By the end of October Clarke already had commitments from 190 vendors scheduled to fill 270 10×10 booths.
From three people running a craft show raising $3,000 in its first year to a year-round, 501(c)3 organization that earned $23,000 for Alzheimer’s last year the Santa Market continues to grow.
A silent auction featuring items like Kendra Scott jewelry to a weekend package at Lake Texhoma serve as top earners.
“We are extremely blessed,” Clarke said. “We get help from so many people. It just never ceases to amaze me. People want to help. They want to donate. They want to be involved.”
“Literally, it’s not just a craft show it’s so many people getting on board with us.”
STAGGERING NUMBERS
The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s is growing — and growing fast. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s.
This number includes an estimated 5.6 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.
* One in 10 people age 65 and older (10 percent) has Alzheimer’s dementia.
* Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.
* Older African-Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older whites.
* Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older whites.
As the number of older Americans grows rapidly, so too will the number of new and existing cases of Alzheimer’s. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia may grow to a projected 13.8 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or cure Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s been 12 years since Clarke’s husband has passed and his memory this time of year is even stronger.
“You would think you would get good at these things but you don’t,” Clarke said, wiping back tears. “This never ever stops for us.”

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital provides quality impatient treatment to help stabilize patients struggling with mental health issues. The multidisciplinary treatment teams consist of psychiatrists, licensed therapist and specialized nurse who collaborate to develop and implement compassionate, individualized, evidence-based treatment plans for our patients.
Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital is proud to serve our military families. We provide quality acute and residential services to children and teens ages five to seventeen. This program is designed to address specific treatment issues with psychiatric disorders in a secure and safe environment. -Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital-
With Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital comes a very professional staff. One special nurse is Chris Weigel, RN, Chief Nursing Officer. Chris explains that she has been a nurse for forty-two years. “I always wanted to be a nurse, ever since I could remember. I started out as a candy striper in a hospital. At the time, I loved caring for people but didn’t have any experience in the nursing field at all. When I was growing up, my mom was in and out of the hospital quite a bit so I felt like I wanted to be a nurse too, like the ones that cared for my mom. That’s when my journey began,” she said. “I have worked in many different areas of the medical field, but I especially like working with children. I feel like I am making a difference with the children here, helping them with their mental health issues.” Chris added.
Asking Chris what her favorite part of her job is, she replied, “I like helping the nurses get rid of any barriers that they might have so they can give the best care in a safe and therapeutic way. I believe my strongest asset is leadership. I had quite a few mentors in the past, especially in administration here at Cedar Ridge. We have a phenomenal CEO, believing in compassion and believing in the kids. I try to be that same kind of person, helping the nurses with whatever they need. I want to be a mentor to others,” Chris said.
How would you describe yourself? “I am very open-minded and I have strong communication skills. I am compassionate and make a huge effort to help others, whether it is one of the nurses or children,” she answered.
Chris Weigel was the president of the Oklahoma Nursing Association and has served on the board of Oklahoma Organization for Nurse Executives; Governor’s Clinical Work Force Center and Chris continues to stay active in the community. “I want to make an impact on nursing and how it can change lives,” Chris commented.
Asking Chris what motivates her, she replied, “I love to see change in anything. I like to see the children here change in their control and their temperament and I see such a difference when they get here and when they leave.”
On a personal note, Chris has lived in several different states. When growing up, her dad was an environmental engineer, working in the everglades. Chris was always running around with him. “At one point, I enjoyed myself so much, I wanted to be game warden and train the alligators.” she said with a laugh. “It was between being a teacher, nurse or game warden. I chose nursing because I didn’t think I would do very well with the other two,” she added. “Besides that, it was a lot safer.”
Chris is married to her wonderful husband and has two grown children and one granddaughter, Minnie who is five years old. Their pets include a miniature schnauzer, Cricket, and will soon be getting a second schnauzer mid-October. Chris’s hobbies include gardening, walking, scrapbooking and reading.
To sum up Chris’s life in one word it didn’t take long for her to answer, “That word would be IMPACT. I like to think that I have a great impact on others, especially the children that are here at Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital,” she said with a smile.

www.caresuitesokc.com

Daily Living Centers of Oklahoma will celebrate 45 years of service to caregivers of elderly and disabled members of our community on Tuesday, October 22nd from 11:30-1:00 p.m.
With four locations, Daily Living Centers stands apart as an affordable non-residential facility that supports the health, nutritional and social needs of adults in a professionally staffed group setting. DLC is an alternative to long-term care solutions such as an assisted living center or nursing home.
“I’m passionate about helping caregivers in our community,” said Daily Living Centers Board Chairperson, Ellyn Hefner. “They provide a service that goes unseen, and having a place where caregivers can take their loved ones while they go to work or run errands is vital.”
The Anniversary Celebration will be held at Daily Living Centers Rockwell location at 3000 N Rockwell Ave., Bethany, OK 73003. The event is free to attend, but guests are asked to RSVP by October 18.
Founded in 1974 as a therapeutic day care center for impaired, homebound and elderly people, DLC is the oldest and largest adult day health care organization in Oklahoma. Because of DLC, caregivers can hold jobs, safeguard their own mental health and maintain a sense of normalcy in their own lives knowing their loved ones are well-cared for at DLC.
Daily Living Centers of Oklahoma is an adult day health non-profit organization offering affordable non-residential facilities that support the health, nutritional and social needs of disabled or elderly Oklahomans in a professionally staffed group setting. For more information please visit, www.dailylivingcenters.org.

www.guardianangelsokc.com

by Dr. C.V Ramana

Cancer is an abnormal or uncontrolled growth of cells that can occur in almost any part of our bodies. Sometimes the abnormal growth is a result of a mutation in our genes that we inherit from our parents. In some cases, it is due to a mutation or alteration in our DNA in our lifetimes. This mutation can occur after we are conceived, due to exposure to radiation, harmful ultraviolet light from our sun, harmful chemicals in our atmosphere, in our water, in our food or from smoking or chewing tobacco. Sometimes it develops as a result of chronic overstimulation of cells due to longstanding inflammation or infection.
Breast cancer is the result of uncontrolled growth of cells in breast tissue. It can occur in both men and women but is much more common in women. There are many different types of breast cancer due to the multiple types of cells in the breast tissue. The type of cancer depends on the cells that are growing abnormally. This can happen in the lobules which make breast milk, the ducts which transport the milk, or in the surrounding supportive tissue of the breast.
Who is at risk for developing breast cancer?
There is a very strong component of inheritance or family history of breast cancer. The most well-known inherited examples are the BRCA1 gene and BRCA2 genes (which we inherit). These genes code for a protein that helps repair DNA. The presence of this mutation markedly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. An individual with the mutation in either of these genes has a 70% risk of developing breast cancer.
What is the likelihood of developing breast cancer in our lifetime?
In the United States, about 1 in 8 (or 12%) of women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. For men, the lifetime risk is 1 in 1000. Early diagnosis is very important so that it can be treated when it is small and contained in a small area in the breast. Breast cancer is not easy to detect early. Screening is essential.
Screening methods include breast self-exam, healthcare professional exam, mammography, ultrasound, MRI, genetic screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, and known family history of breast cancer.
How is it treated?
Treatment depends on the type of breast cancer, its aggressiveness (how fast it grows, how fast it spreads, and how it spreads), its size at time of diagnosis, and staging (identifying whether, and where it has metastasized in our bodies). Staging involves diagnostic testing such as mammography, ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, PET scan, Bone scans. Biopsy is an essential part of the diagnosis. A biopsy is done to confirm its presence, the type of cancer, and its aggressiveness. This may also help identify what type of treatment is likely to be most effective.
Treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Lumpectomy is the surgical removal of the area around the tumor. Mastectomy is the surgical removal of one or both breasts and axillary dissection is the removal of the lymph nodes or glands and lymphatic tissue in the arm pit. Chemotherapy treatment most commonly involves a combination of pills and intravenous infusions of medicines that have been shown to be effective at killing the abnormal cells. Experimental techniques include targeting the abnormal cells through antibodies and “killer cells” that are engineered to recognize and attack the abnormal cells. Radiation therapy is the treatment by exposure to high doses of x-rays (far higher than the amount used in diagnostic imaging) to the area of the cancer.
Breast cancer is usually treated through a team approach and can include radiologists, surgeons, and oncologists (cancer specialist). Through prevention, early detection, and treatment there are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Dr. C.V Ramana is a vascular and interventional radiologist with more than 20 years of practice experience. He has expertise in all areas of vascular and interventional radiology. Dr. Ramana has a Ph.D from Yale University and MD from CWRU in Cleveland, Ohio where he subsequently completed his fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Cleveland Clinic.
NAADI HEALTH is located at 1 NW 64th Street in Oklahoma City. Call (405)-608-8884 or visit https://naadihealthcare.com

by Greg Schwem

Elizabeth Warren, exactly what do you eat for breakfast?
There must be something in your cereal, your eggs, your breakfast smoothie, or whatever it is you start your day with, that allows you to take selfies with strangers for four hours AFTER you’ve completed the stump speech that you hope propels you to the nation’s highest office in 2020.
If I posed for that many photos, my first act as president would be to lock myself in the White House, alone, and not come out for four years. Want my signature on a bill? Just slip it under the Oval Office door and wait patiently. Eventually, I’ll push it back out. Along with an executive order banning selfies.
In your case, calling the photos “selfies” is misleading, for it implies that every one of your fans held their own phones, extended their arms, took the pictures themselves, viewed them with disappointing looks and said, “Wait, can we do one more? In landscape mode?”
Your loyal subjects hand their phones to a staff member who takes the photos. Other celebrities use similar methods. Two years ago, I was one of 1,500 fans who waited in a Chicago bookstore for over three hours simply to meet and take a photo with Bruce Springsteen. A member of The Boss’ security team took my iPhone and held the photo button down continuously for about five seconds. I was left with 10 pics, including one of Springsteen welcoming his next fan while my rear end exited the stage. I deleted that one.
Truthfully, I’ve never understood the desire to take, and post, photos of oneself, regardless of the background or situation. Several times a year I open my social media feeds to find someone has snapped a “hospital bed selfie,” taken just before the subject sees an emergency room physician or undergoes an operation. Invariably, the photos are accompanied with text such as, “Guess where I am?” as if the hospital gown wasn’t a clue. Seriously, what kind of medication makes a person think, “Hmmm, I have a tube in my nose, a needle in my arm and all my body hair has been shaved. DAMN, I LOOK GOOD!”
But the chance to rub shoulders with celebrities and come away with proof is a different story. My Bruce pic is on my office wall and elicits cries of, “Whoa, you met Springsteen?” from most who see it. Mere seconds after taking the photo, I posted it to all my social media feeds and happily read the comments expressing awe and jealousy. I’m sure 1,499 others were doing the same thing that day.
So, Sen. Warren, I understand your strategy. The more pics of you floating around cyberspace with everyday Americans, the greater your likability. I doubt President Trump even knows what a selfie is. Then again, it’s impossible to snap a photo while simultaneously tweeting and golfing.
But senator, are you sure this is the right strategy? With all those people waiting in line, chances are excellent at least one of them is a pedophile, a Ponzi scheme creator or a future school shooter. In 1978, after serial murder John Wayne Gacy was arrested, a photo emerged of him posing with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, taken just seven months prior. Oops.
Of course, you can’t possibly know the backgrounds of everyone waiting to smile with you, but would that stop vicious memes from circulating? Would it stop the hosts at Fox News from plastering that photo onscreen every time they mention your name? Doubtful.
I have yet to decide who among the Democratic candidates will receive my vote. But Sen. Warren, I do admire your grass-roots approach, not to mention your stamina. If you win, thousands upon thousands of Americans will be able to say they met the president of the United States.
Let’s hope they all know how to back up their iPhones.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.) (c) 2019 GREG SCHWEM. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the leading association for long term and post-acute care, recently held its 70th Annual Convention & Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Representatives from Golden Age Nursing Facility of Guthrie, Oklahoma were on hand to accept the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award during the National Quality Award Ceremony on October 15, 2019. This year, more than 800 member centers across the nation were recognized with a Quality Award, including 615 Bronze, 184 Silver and an elite group of five at the Gold level. Golden Age Nursing Facility was distinctive as the only facility in Oklahoma to receive the Silver Award this year. The Silver Award is the second of three progressive award levels through the National Quality Award Program, honoring association members that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for seniors. The Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award was earned by Golden Age in 2017.
The National Quality Award Program, which AHCA/NCAL established in 1996, is based on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The Baldridge program helps organizations in different business sectors improve and achieve performance excellence. As a recipient of the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award, Golden Age may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award criteria.
Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Nico Gomez said he was glad Golden Age Nursing Home is being recognized for their hard work and dedication to resident care. “The staff at Golden Age Nursing is delivering excellent care and raising the bar for quality services,” said Gomez. “Their residents are benefiting from the staff’s hard work and receiving a better quality of life.”
“We are proud of our Golden Age team,” said Golden Age administrator Linda Smith. “They have shown the dedication and motivation it takes to achieve such a prestigious distinction. Our team will continue to provide compassionate care and services to our residents, families and the community we are blessed to serve.”

www.meadowlakesretirementvillage.com