Woman claims to be 116

[sixate]

LINKY

Woman in Nicaragua Claims She's 116


By FILADELFO ALEMAN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 20, 2003; 1:35 PM


NIQUINOHOMO, Nicaragua - Eva Rayo Potosme eats beef soup, shuns cosmetics and avoids alcohol - though she acknowledges to being arrested once for moonshining. Her children say she turned 116 years old on Sunday.

That would make her a candidate for the oldest person in the world, though relatives say her birth records were lost years ago in the registry of this town about 20 miles (33 kilometers) east of Managua.

Seated in a wooden rocker, the white-haired Potosme attributed her longevity, however great, to diet.

"I love beef soup with vegetables and that's what I've eaten all my life," she said.

Rayo had 10 children, but three have died. Among the oldest of the survivors is 78-year-old Pedro. The youngest of her 40 grand and great-grandchildren is 3.

Relatives say her husband died 38 years ago at age 75, and they say he was younger than she was.

Rayo herself says she's in good health, aside from an inflamed foot that makes it hard for her to stand.

"With this illness in my foot, I think I'm even older," she said with a smile.

She admitted to another illness: "I suffer from hunger. But to be honest, I only eat when there is food, because times are hard and sometimes there is nothing to eat."

Rayo said her greatest pleasure in life had been working.

"I traveled with my husband from Niquinohomo in an oxcart to the city of Granada (10 miles - 15 kilometers away) to sell fruit," she said. "At that time there was no highway and the roads were full of mud that mired the oxen."

Rayo said she never used cosmetics and never liked liquor, though she admitted to being arrested once for selling homemade corn liquor called "cususa."

"The only headache" of her life, she said, was that her husband Eusebio Canda had a mistress.

Even so, "She died before he did and it did not make me happy," she said. "I felt sorrow at her death."

Rayo is not included on the Gerontology Research Group's list of 41 people confirmed to be 110 or more. The oldest, Kamato Hongo of Japan, is 115.

Even so, Sunday was a day of celebration for the relatives, who gathered Sunday in the old house where some make tortillas to sell amid the wandering of roosters, hens, pigs and dogs and the squawk of a parrot. Pink balloons were strung and a pinata was broken for the children.

Asked if she feared death, she replied: "And who wants to die?"

This story really isn't a big deal to me, but it makes you wonder....
Would you want to live that long?
I'm gonna have to say hell no. You reach a certain age and we all start the downward slide. I wouldn't want that slide to last 50 fucking years.

[Glory's Sun]

"But to be honest, I only eat when there is food"

Gee ya don't say. Kinda cool how that works

I'd have to agree sixate. I don't want to get old..well not that old anyway. I know I'd end up being grumpy and a hassle for others and I'd hate to see myself that way..

[Phaenx]

My dad's in his 80's and he's still very active and healthy. Would I like to live in pain every day? I don't know, I don't think it really matters since I'm not going to kill myself, I probably couldn't if I wanted to anyways.

[krwlz]

i wouldl like to make it to 100, after i hit 3 digits, im ready to go...

[WhoaitsZ]

it depends. if quality of life is high, why not live? i'm sure by then the grandkids have some interestings things happening.

if i were sick, debilitating and miserable then kill me.

been there, done that on the sick thingie and i wished to god my body would have gave up and let me die.. but it didn't, and now days I'm fairly content.

Quality of life ladies and gents, quality of life.

[Spungfoo]

It depends. If I'm in some kind of nursing home or have have chronic diseases that basically render me more helpless than a newborn child when I'm old pull the damn plug. Otherwise, I'll just be old and be able to wear those offensive plaid suits in public and get away with it I'm actually looking foward to being a grumpy old man, as long as I'm a healthy grumpy old man.

[BBtB]

You are only as old as you feel. Man I am feeling really 21 right now. Sadly this philiosphy dosn't work at the liquour store.

[FuddMan]

Has anyone seen Hongo mentioned in that article? She looks like Yoda!

[gov135]

No way she is 116. If you are that old, all your kids are dead. Not just 3 of ten.

Nah. I wouldn't want to wait that long to see what's after this. I don't think it would be fun to bury children, and all your friends.

[GoldenOuroboros]

yeah I don't think that it would be fun to out live your children.. But still, if she's having a good run. Good on her

[Frowning Budah]

Maybe it just seems like 116 years because of the no booze thing.

I already feel like I am 120.