Page 2 - SENIORLIVING

2 El Dorado News-Times Saturday, January 26, 2019
Making the most of life
El Dorado native stays active in recovery
By Caitlan Butler
Staff Writer
Retiree Ora Williams says she is 18 going on 78. After a recent stay in the hospital, the 77 year- old has been making the most of her recovery by staying active.
Williams grew up in El Dorado. After high school, she moved to Milwaukee then returned to El Dorado. Later, she moved to California, where she worked in a washateria and met her first husband. They eventually moved to Germany, where Williams had her only child, daughter Anjanett Kemp.
Williams and her first husband separated after returning to El Dorado where she has made her home ever since.
In the early 1980s, after beating breast cancer, Williams saw an article in the News-Times about another woman who was also a breast cancer survivor. The two connected and they became friends until the woman’s death several years ago.
Williams also got involved with the Area Agency on Aging of Southwest Arkansas (the Agency) after seeing it mentioned in the News-Times. Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's diesase and began attending an eldercare program. One day, the agency hosted a class about Alzheimer's, which Williams decided to attend, and she has continued her involvement since.
“We learn a lot ... I tell people they need to get involved and go to the classes because you can find out stuff that you are not going to find out and the doctor’s not going to tell you,” Williams said. “People don’t understand, but they need to get involved in stuff and learn.”
Eventually, Williams brought her daughter, Kemp, into the fold when the two began attending the agency’s classes together. Kemp said they had attended a class on pre-arranging for one’s death the day before her mother took a fall in her home last August.
“She was pretty bad off, she was. It scared me to death, it did, because I wasn’t ready,” Kemp said. “One minute she’s up, walking around, we’re going to a meeting ... then the next day here we are in a whole different world.”
Kemp took her mother to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
“She stayed four days and she talked the doctor into letting her out, discharging her. She came home with me and less than 12 hours [later] she had fallen again,” Kemp said.
The second fall kept Williams hospitalized for over a month. Her family wanted to transfer her to
Contributed Photo
Mother and daughter: Ora Williams (left) poses with her daughter, Anjanett Kemp, in a Christmas photo last year.
the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock; however, Williams refused, saying she loves the Medical Center of South Arkansas.
“As my mother [would] say, same God is in Little Rock as is in El Dorado. I believe that, I truly believe that,” Williams said. “I’ve never had a problem at the hospital.”
After her release from the hospital, Williams spent another month at Timberlane Health and Rehab receiving physical therapy. There, one of her therapies was based on one of her favorite hobbies, baking.
“I went to rehab and they said ‘I heard you make cakes!’” Williams said, laughing. “So I made cakes.”
She continued her physical therapy when she returned home and has since continued to stay active. In addition to regular exercise, Williams is very involved at her church, Starlight Missionary Baptist.
At the church, she serves as the Sunday school secretary, church clerk, an usher and a member of the Mission Department and the choir. She also gets to practice her cooking, making breakfast every fifth Sunday and monthly birthday dinners for the congregation.
“I thank God for my pastor at church – not just now, but previous pastors [too] – taught me how to
be to other people. To have friends, you’ve got to show yourself friendly,” Williams said. “I don’t meet strangers.”
Kemp said it’s almost a problem how much Williams wants to help others. She said Williams has at times ignored her own health in favor of helping her friends, family and anyone else she can.
Williams’ good nature has led her to encourage her friends to adopt active lifestyles
“A friend of mine, see, she’s 80 ... We used to go to Wendy’s every day for lunch – 4 for 4s – and then we’d go to the store. To get her to exercise, I would take her to places like Goodwill where you have to walk around,” Williams said.
Kemp said Goodwill, the Salvation Army thrift store and especially Dollar Tree are Williams’ “addictions.” However, Williams said the stores help her stay active, because they’re so big and one must do a lot of walking to see everything; the prices don’t hurt either, though.
“Why does anyone go to Dollar Tree? To buy something and knowing that you’re going to have some change left,” Williams said, laughing.
After Timberlane, Williams moved in with Kemp and her husband, Rod. Currently, she is unable to
See RECOVER, Page 3