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Conversation | 06/27/2008 12:00 am

The New Catch-22 for Women

© iStock

Retirement: Will the money run out before we die, now that we live longer? Who will take care of us? Who will take care of anyone? Who do you have to take care of? And what do we think about money and retirement? These were some of the questions posed to the wOw women. Read on for the resulting conversation.

LIZ: The only way to retire is to have money; or to get old, or to get sick. I don’t think anybody can retire without money anymore, and it’s going to be proven now, in spades, with all of these people
retiring.

JANE: And I’m working on some information about going to Germany for stem cells for all of us. So when that happens, we’ll live close to forever. Stem cells are already being … being put into cosmetics and all kinds of things now. And we’ll be using them on the surface of our skin, and also taking injections.

LIZ: You’re quite right. They’re using them in all kinds of operations now, even though they haven’t been approved.

JANE: No, I know it. So I really think … that there is something out there that will make us live longer and we’ve got to get into it right now, and then worry about the money later. But if the stem cells really work, maybe we’ll be rejuvenated to the point where we’ll be able to work.

If I'm lucky, I'll probably go bankrupt one of these days. So I hope I do. I hope I live long enough to not have any more money.

LIZ: The stem cell argument, an ethical argument, is still going on in lawmaking and in the United States and so forth. And yet people are already going around the world to have stem-cell operations. I have a friend who has cancer of the bladder and he’s given up on the usual
treatment and he’s gone to have stem cell … some kind of stem cell thing, at a place that he won’t tell where he went.

JANE: I’ve already had neuropeptides injections, which is the closest thing to stem cells, for the brain. And I can’t tell any difference, but hopefully it’s done something.

LIZ: Oh, I think you’re a lot smarter now than you used to be.

MARY: Did you do that in the United States?

JANE: No. The doctor was from Germany and came to a holistic doctor’s office here.

MARY: Well Germany does a lot of that, yes.

JANE: It was almost like a placebo effect, because I felt better doing something, you know? And I know he’s very respected in, I think it’s Frankfurt or Hamburg. And this is a place where, I think I’ve talked about it with you, Mary. Siegfried and Roy went for treatment after Roy’s accident.

MARY: Right.

JANE: … and we’re going to find out about it. There is someone here who can help us find out more about the treatments.

LIZ: And there’s that book … The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil.

JANE: He co-wrote a book about vitamins with a doctor. He takes over 200 vitamins a day.

MARY: We’re taking all his vitamins. You can get them on the Internet.

JANE: I know. I may switch to his regimen from Life Extension … well his book, I think it’s called Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever.

MARY: The late Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan said, "Some day, not too long from now, a group such as us will be sitting around and we’ll be saying, ‘Oh, think about 1990. People actually died back then.’"

LIZ: Oh, my God.

Read more about: Aging, Books, Retirement

285 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Frannie Em
Anne You said it all. well put
By Frannie Em on 06/27/2008 10:37 am
I Love Money And Money Loves Me
We definitely could use a question/thread discussion on poverty consciousness because there are people here who have it in spades. Challenges are real, poverty consciousness is de-energizing and makes them far worse. Fear’s the basis and it is blinding.
By I Love Money And Money Loves Me on 06/28/2008 1:23 pm
Blue Circle Girl
Money, Yes, you said it …. when I have ten bucks in my pocket I feel great …. that means one ice cream for M and a ride to the food bank via bus or train. The food banks are very helpful. However, the line gets longer and longer each month. You should see the children in line with their tired mothers or grandmothers … it is really quite sad … we all look like loozers and we have to wait in the line outside so that everyone that has a good life can see us … talk about humiliation. Sometimes I don’t let it bother me … I think holidays are the worst.
By Blue Circle Girl on 06/28/2008 8:37 pm
Frau Quink
Hi Anne B, I enjoyed your comments, and I completely agree with what you said.
By Frau Quink on 06/29/2008 8:55 pm
Anne B.
Frannie & Frau Q…. thank you for your kind words!
By Anne B. on 06/30/2008 12:50 am
Star Lawrence
LOL. I agree. But let’s not hate them because they are rich and beauitful.
By Star Lawrence on 06/27/2008 11:05 am
C A Rose
I agree whole-heartedly Star. I am one of those living on SSDI & Food Stamps and way below the poverty level. If I didn’t live with my mother I would be homeless…actually I would already be dead. I am not education deficient, just health deficient. I enjoy reading all the interesting conversations that pass through the threads. This is one site I feel I can come to and have an intelligent conversation about a myriad of topics. The stem cell and gene conversations about the fountain of youth aren’t within my reach, but they don’t offend me either. I am always hoping to come across that one link that someone has posted that will make my world of illness more tolerable for my mother or myself. There’s alot of wisdom here and I hope to suck up as much of it as I can. After all, there aren’t a lot of places where you can be exposed to so much it for free.
By C A Rose on 06/30/2008 12:17 am
Get Sporty
I don’t understand the complaining about what the site is: 1) Many of the founders started with little money, instead of resenting them, learn from their examples of initiative and imagination. 2)The reality is that this is a commercial venture that needs a certain percentage of the user demographic to have money otherwise the site disappears. 3) They present a good mix of material and people. 4) There are other sites that can be an adjunct. There are many of us who love the world the Founders represent—people who go after life and who also appreciate those who make it.
By Get Sporty on 06/27/2008 11:38 am
DeBúrca obj
It’s not about resenting anyone, it’s about the perspective people look at things from and the relevance of certain issues and opinions to most people’s lives.
By DeBúrca obj on 06/27/2008 1:39 pm
beverly linens
They have given us this platform to talk and learn from one another. That took resorces and I for one am grateful. Thank you wowOwow.
By beverly linens on 06/27/2008 2:42 pm
mary lou s
yes. thank you for this forum, wow!
By mary lou s on 06/27/2008 3:28 pm
Dona Howlett
I agree Beverly………I learn something new every day. The Founders……..the women on the site. It’s fabulous to share with so many different views. Depending on our own situtations in life……we come from that view point. It doesn’t mean we cant try to understand other’s views and situations. I’m so grateful I don’t have to worry about a roof over my head or food to eat. My husband and I worked hard for many years making sacrifices to save toward our retirement. Thank God we did that. To be financially independent is a blessing. To be Rich would be fabulous……..but we can’t all have everything. I’m thankful for what I do have.
By Dona Howlett on 06/27/2008 6:52 pm
C A Rose
Me too, Dona!
By C A Rose on 06/30/2008 12:20 am
Elisabeth S
Beverly, i agree that WOW formed this for everybody and they have made it pretty clear that they are open to any reasonable suggestions. We have the chance to use it to our advantage to learn from and support one another. After all we each have only our own viewpoint, there is no sin in that. I am grateful for this site as well. When the news depresses me I can come here and feel more hopeful or at least not alone in my concerns.
By Elisabeth S on 06/27/2008 7:38 pm
Frannie Em
Hi J Burke The subject is also a way to introduce the topic of stem cell research. It is a hot political topic which many people have strong opinions about. I have a niece with lupus and it has attacked her kidneys pretty severely, there is proven advances of the benefits of stem cell research for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but she is not able to get this treatment in the US. She can’t afford to go overseas for it, so she is stuck with Chemo and then possibly dialysis. She is in her early 40’s and faces the rest of her life having to go to dialysis three times a week for 6-8 hours each session. So maybe the conversation can go begin to talk about stem cell for life threatening diseases.
By Frannie Em on 06/27/2008 6:22 pm