Gulffritallary
08-22-2003, 07:22 PM
Former Texas governor, Ann Richards, has written a book on her battles with
osteoporosis:
HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com*|*Section: Houston
Lifestyle & Features
Aug. 21, 2003, 6:52PM
Ann Richards has something to say about politics, and battling osteoporosis
By CLAUDIA FELDMAN
Houston Chronicle
Former Gov. Ann Richards breezed through town Thursday, and for her liberal
fans, the air was fresher, the conversations snappier, the overall mood more
optimistic while she was here.
Her visit was a pleasure for woebegone Democrats; however, she was here on
business. She's pushing her new book, I'm Not Slowing Down -- Winning My Battle
With Osteoporosis (Dutton, $23.95).
Richards acknowledges that much of what she does these days has a price tag
attached.
"When I left the governor's office (in January 1995), I had no money at all.
.... It was time to think seriously about me."
These days she runs the New York office of Public Strategies, a bipartisan
public relations and lobbying firm. Before her last move she worked in
Washington, D.C., also as a lobbyist.
For those who find that work distasteful -- during one juncture she represented
the tobacco industry -- get off it, she says.
Richards suggests in all seriousness that the industry was on the brink of
policing itself when that effort was squashed and legislation was passed
instead.
"The attitude seemed to be if you were paid by a tobacco company, you must be
in favor of people smoking, which couldn't be further from the truth. I
understand the media. Good news is not news."
And that -- chalk it up to a summer cold -- was one of the few sour things
Richards had to say during her brief visit to the Chronicle. She talked about
everything from the war in Iraq to potted plants, and she charmed everyone she
met, though she concentrated on regular folks, not executives.
"Nice shoes," she commented to a clerical worker in the elevator, who was
wearing worn embroidered slippers.
"Thanks," said the happy Richards fan, who told the former gov where to buy
them.
Q: You're about to celebrate a birthday?
A: I'll be 70 the first day of September. There's something really wonderful --
liberating and freeing -- about getting older. I have more opportunities. I'm
wiser. I know the things I need to do, and I do them. I don't have to pretend
anymore.
Q: Do you often dwell on your second campaign for governor? (Richards lost the
race to George W. Bush, who used the governorship as a springboard to the
presidency.)
A: Sometimes, but not from a personal or selfish point of view. I think the
country would be better off if I hadn't lost that race. The state of Texas
financially is in much worse shape today. The country financially is in much
worse shape now. We're in a terrible war that's unlikely to end any time soon;
in fact, it looks as if it will be escalating into a much larger conflict.
Already it's costing a billion dollars a month.
Q: Did it hurt your feelings to lose?
A: I didn't mourn the loss. I've always been very positive in my attitude, and
I knew I had opportunities to do some new things. Also, I was in my early 60s,
and I realized I had to take responsibility for my future. Women are taught to
think more about caring for others than caring for themselves.
Q: How do you like New York?
A: A very special place, a city with the best of everything. And interestingly
enough, it's an older person's city, a walking, friendly city. At night, the
streets are full of old people going to the theater, concerts, dinner.
Q: When did you find out you had osteopenia, usually an early stage of
osteoporosis, a progressive disease that literally means "porous bones."
A: In 1996. I thought like most of us do that if I took medication, that would
pretty well take care of it. ... Then I learned from a young woman -- I think
she saved my life -- that weight bearing exercise would help maintain and
increase bone density. Now I go to the gym twice a week, no matter where I am.
I work out with trainers because they help me do the exercises right. Also, if
I have to meet someone I'll go, but if I'm just doing it for myself, I'll turn
over and go back to sleep.
Q: Has the exercise helped?
A: It's done so much for me. We work on balance. My muscle strength helps make
up for the loss of strength in my frame. ... And it's given me the confidence
to go anywhere I want to go and do anything I want to do. I like to travel a
lot, and there are a lot of places I want to go that I haven't been. I talk to
some women about the trips I'd like to take, and I can see from their
expressions they're not sure they could make those trips physically. I want to
go to Antarctica and take a river rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, and
all I have to do is find the time because I know my body can handle it.
(A chapter in Richards' book cites calcium and vitamins and prescription
medicine as "bone helpers." She describes "bone breakers" as caffeine, tobacco
and alcohol.)
Q: Why did you write the book?
A: I was making speeches around the country and, in part, I was telling about
my mother's last years and her struggles with osteoporosis and my osteoporosis
and my efforts to combat it, and a young woman from Dutton heard me and
wondered if I'd consider writing a book. Truthfully, I didn't have much
interest in it at first, but it did occur to me it might help people to face up
to the likelihood that as they age, they'll contract the disease. Also, I said
I'd do it if they would pair me with a doctor who could write the medical side.
They did. His name is Richard Levine.
Q: You take the Eli Lilly and Co. drug, Evista, for your osteoporosis. Is the
drug company involved in pushing the book?
A: When Eli Lilly learned I was taking their drug, they asked me if I would be
interested in them paying me to speak about osteoporosis at certain occasions.
And I said I'd be happy to. But I didn't want any pharmaceutical companies
involved in the book. I'd never advise anyone to take a medicine I'm taking
because what works for me may not be the best for someone else.
Q: Do you have any potted plants?
A: I don't own anything I have to feed or water. I'm free at last, thank God
Almighty, free at last. I can leave my apartment -- whichever one, in Austin or
New York -- and be gone two minutes or 20 years and nothing inside will suffer
in my absence. I've reached a point where I don't want things to own me.
Q: Are you still close to your four kids? And the seven grandkids?
A: Yes, but I want to free up my children from my interference. A lot of time
what we call love is meddling. And you can imagine if I didn't have an active
life, I could be into everybody else's life with all four feet. ... I don't
want the kids to feel they have to be responsible for me and, by the same
token, I am not going to interfere in the decisions they make about their
lives. And the result is, my kids are my friends. And I love those
grandchildren, but I'm not their baby-sitter. I'm the grandmother that brings
the presents and writes the checks. I'm not a biscuit baker or a cookie maker.
Q: Do you miss politics?
A: Well, I'm not very far removed from it. I still campaign for the people I
believe in. I loved being governor, but it was my job, not who I was. It wasn't
my identity.
Q: Do you expect to see presidents named Bush for the foreseeable future?
A: No. I think George is going to have a very tough race next time. He has
solidified the Democrats better than they could ever have done themselves
osteoporosis:
HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com*|*Section: Houston
Lifestyle & Features
Aug. 21, 2003, 6:52PM
Ann Richards has something to say about politics, and battling osteoporosis
By CLAUDIA FELDMAN
Houston Chronicle
Former Gov. Ann Richards breezed through town Thursday, and for her liberal
fans, the air was fresher, the conversations snappier, the overall mood more
optimistic while she was here.
Her visit was a pleasure for woebegone Democrats; however, she was here on
business. She's pushing her new book, I'm Not Slowing Down -- Winning My Battle
With Osteoporosis (Dutton, $23.95).
Richards acknowledges that much of what she does these days has a price tag
attached.
"When I left the governor's office (in January 1995), I had no money at all.
.... It was time to think seriously about me."
These days she runs the New York office of Public Strategies, a bipartisan
public relations and lobbying firm. Before her last move she worked in
Washington, D.C., also as a lobbyist.
For those who find that work distasteful -- during one juncture she represented
the tobacco industry -- get off it, she says.
Richards suggests in all seriousness that the industry was on the brink of
policing itself when that effort was squashed and legislation was passed
instead.
"The attitude seemed to be if you were paid by a tobacco company, you must be
in favor of people smoking, which couldn't be further from the truth. I
understand the media. Good news is not news."
And that -- chalk it up to a summer cold -- was one of the few sour things
Richards had to say during her brief visit to the Chronicle. She talked about
everything from the war in Iraq to potted plants, and she charmed everyone she
met, though she concentrated on regular folks, not executives.
"Nice shoes," she commented to a clerical worker in the elevator, who was
wearing worn embroidered slippers.
"Thanks," said the happy Richards fan, who told the former gov where to buy
them.
Q: You're about to celebrate a birthday?
A: I'll be 70 the first day of September. There's something really wonderful --
liberating and freeing -- about getting older. I have more opportunities. I'm
wiser. I know the things I need to do, and I do them. I don't have to pretend
anymore.
Q: Do you often dwell on your second campaign for governor? (Richards lost the
race to George W. Bush, who used the governorship as a springboard to the
presidency.)
A: Sometimes, but not from a personal or selfish point of view. I think the
country would be better off if I hadn't lost that race. The state of Texas
financially is in much worse shape today. The country financially is in much
worse shape now. We're in a terrible war that's unlikely to end any time soon;
in fact, it looks as if it will be escalating into a much larger conflict.
Already it's costing a billion dollars a month.
Q: Did it hurt your feelings to lose?
A: I didn't mourn the loss. I've always been very positive in my attitude, and
I knew I had opportunities to do some new things. Also, I was in my early 60s,
and I realized I had to take responsibility for my future. Women are taught to
think more about caring for others than caring for themselves.
Q: How do you like New York?
A: A very special place, a city with the best of everything. And interestingly
enough, it's an older person's city, a walking, friendly city. At night, the
streets are full of old people going to the theater, concerts, dinner.
Q: When did you find out you had osteopenia, usually an early stage of
osteoporosis, a progressive disease that literally means "porous bones."
A: In 1996. I thought like most of us do that if I took medication, that would
pretty well take care of it. ... Then I learned from a young woman -- I think
she saved my life -- that weight bearing exercise would help maintain and
increase bone density. Now I go to the gym twice a week, no matter where I am.
I work out with trainers because they help me do the exercises right. Also, if
I have to meet someone I'll go, but if I'm just doing it for myself, I'll turn
over and go back to sleep.
Q: Has the exercise helped?
A: It's done so much for me. We work on balance. My muscle strength helps make
up for the loss of strength in my frame. ... And it's given me the confidence
to go anywhere I want to go and do anything I want to do. I like to travel a
lot, and there are a lot of places I want to go that I haven't been. I talk to
some women about the trips I'd like to take, and I can see from their
expressions they're not sure they could make those trips physically. I want to
go to Antarctica and take a river rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, and
all I have to do is find the time because I know my body can handle it.
(A chapter in Richards' book cites calcium and vitamins and prescription
medicine as "bone helpers." She describes "bone breakers" as caffeine, tobacco
and alcohol.)
Q: Why did you write the book?
A: I was making speeches around the country and, in part, I was telling about
my mother's last years and her struggles with osteoporosis and my osteoporosis
and my efforts to combat it, and a young woman from Dutton heard me and
wondered if I'd consider writing a book. Truthfully, I didn't have much
interest in it at first, but it did occur to me it might help people to face up
to the likelihood that as they age, they'll contract the disease. Also, I said
I'd do it if they would pair me with a doctor who could write the medical side.
They did. His name is Richard Levine.
Q: You take the Eli Lilly and Co. drug, Evista, for your osteoporosis. Is the
drug company involved in pushing the book?
A: When Eli Lilly learned I was taking their drug, they asked me if I would be
interested in them paying me to speak about osteoporosis at certain occasions.
And I said I'd be happy to. But I didn't want any pharmaceutical companies
involved in the book. I'd never advise anyone to take a medicine I'm taking
because what works for me may not be the best for someone else.
Q: Do you have any potted plants?
A: I don't own anything I have to feed or water. I'm free at last, thank God
Almighty, free at last. I can leave my apartment -- whichever one, in Austin or
New York -- and be gone two minutes or 20 years and nothing inside will suffer
in my absence. I've reached a point where I don't want things to own me.
Q: Are you still close to your four kids? And the seven grandkids?
A: Yes, but I want to free up my children from my interference. A lot of time
what we call love is meddling. And you can imagine if I didn't have an active
life, I could be into everybody else's life with all four feet. ... I don't
want the kids to feel they have to be responsible for me and, by the same
token, I am not going to interfere in the decisions they make about their
lives. And the result is, my kids are my friends. And I love those
grandchildren, but I'm not their baby-sitter. I'm the grandmother that brings
the presents and writes the checks. I'm not a biscuit baker or a cookie maker.
Q: Do you miss politics?
A: Well, I'm not very far removed from it. I still campaign for the people I
believe in. I loved being governor, but it was my job, not who I was. It wasn't
my identity.
Q: Do you expect to see presidents named Bush for the foreseeable future?
A: No. I think George is going to have a very tough race next time. He has
solidified the Democrats better than they could ever have done themselves