Age – Is It Just a Number?
Linda Trummer
by Linda Trummer
Getting old is truly understated. Whoever coined “Age is just a number” must’ve been under 40, well-moisturized, and blissfully unaware of jowls.
Because let’s be honest: age is not just a number — it’s a full‑body experience. The aches, the pains, the wrinkles, the graying hair, the chin that suddenly has opinions, and the neck that seems to be melting into the torso. And the arms — my friend used to call hers “lunch lady arms,” and I didn’t fully understand until one day… I did.
I used to be in great physical condition. I exercised my whole life. My weight stayed effortlessly between 90 and 115 pounds for decades. Good muscle tone. Strong. Capable.
And then came cancer.
And Covid‑19.
And sepsis.
And a cancer relapse.
Now I’m 71, and I’ve become the person who actually answers “yes” when the doctor asks if I’ve fallen recently. I fall constantly. I recently broke a toe and wrecked my hip from wearing the boot. I swear I can trip on a blade of grass. My mind is sprinting while my body is strolling, and the two no longer coordinate their schedules.
And then there’s the part no one warns you about: people start dying. Friends, neighbors, classmates. It’s not just grief — it’s a mirror held up to your own mortality. A reminder that one day, it will be your turn.
The medications… Lordy, lordy, lordy. Cancer meds, blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, blood thinners (thank you, strokes), anti‑anxiety meds, antidepressants, pain meds for inflammation, and the lingering side effects of chemotherapy. It’s like carrying a pharmacy in my purse. But regardless of the reason, the truth remains: I’m 71.
Age is more than a number. It’s every lesson learned, every tear shed, every love lost, every chapter lived. Age is a badge of honor — and a reminder that the footprint we leave behind matters more now than ever.
I want people to remember me as a stubborn woman who survived everything life threw at her. A woman who showed compassion, who cared deeply, who used whatever influence she had to help others.
I don’t like being old — yet I love being old. I don’t love the physical changes. I now have to do my yard work in installments. I plan my driving around daylight. But I do love the confidence, the maturity, the clarity that only comes with age. I handle things now that once overwhelmed me.
And let’s not forget: older people are prime targets for scams. We have to stay sharp, even when our knees aren’t.
In my head, I’m forever in my 30s — cute, petite, playful, and fully capable of flirting with the same results I had 40 years ago. Maybe that’s delusional. Maybe it’s charming. Maybe it’s survival.
But honestly? For me it’s a good thing, considering I now spend so much time in my head!
Linda Trummer is a 10-year survivor of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). She runs an online support group of nearly 3,000 members from 45 different countries and has also started a sister group exclusively for caregivers of MCL survivors on Facebook, Mantle Cell Lymphoma: The Caregivers’ Journey.
