1 of 4
Maddie McGarvey
2 of 4
Maddie McGarvey
3 of 4
Maddie McGarvey
4 of 4
Maddie McGarvey
Many of us think of our 60s as a time to slow down. But the seniors featured in the 2019 Akron 60 Strong calendar have done anything but. They’ve overcome major health battles, climbed mountains, won races and cared for loved ones. Meet a few of the local seniors selected by a panel of local judges for their healthy lifestyles and dedication to a better community.
In January 2007, Angela Bosela received heartbreaking news. She was diagnosed with an aggressive, fast-growing stomach cancer with one of the worst survival rates of all cancers: only 30 percent.
At first Bosela thought, I’m not going to be here. Then the Copley mother of three thought about the milestones she’d miss and snapped out of it. No way was she giving up.
“I said, ‘I’m going to be here. I’m going to be tough, strong,’ ” recalls the now 67-year-old.
Though cancer patients are often exhausted from treatment, Bosela refused to lie down. Instead, she kept walking, a routine she had started before her diagnosis. But with her diagnosis driving her, she walked longer and faster. She kept up with chores too, even when she had a chemo pump attached to her.
“I went outside and trimmed the shrubs with my pump and just kept on doing everything I used to do. I never stopped,” she says.
Her treatment was brutal. She had 70 percent of her stomach removed at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and then did four rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. But she fought hard and is now cancer free.
At 59, her walks sped into runs after her husband encouraged her to compete in the Boston Marathon 5K as their daughter raced in the Boston Marathon. Now, she trains with the Summit Athletic Running Club weekly, has run 170 races and has won the senior masters at the 2012 and 2014 Youngstown Peace Race.
She’s thankful for her miraculous recovery and wants to help others beat stomach cancer. So Bosela opened the Ohio chapter of Debbie’s Dream Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for stomach cancer. Annually, she goes to Capitol Hill to advocate for stomach cancer research. She mentors caregivers and patients, stressing exercise because she is living proof it makes a difference.
“I keep on telling them: Don’t just sit; keep on moving because I know you’re in pain but sometimes if you move, you don’t feel the pain,” she says.
After Clarence Bechter saw Mount Whitney — the highest peak in the continental U.S. at 14,505 feet — on a California vacation, the thought of climbing it stayed with him. At 62, he began climbing mountains.
He started doing 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado. Then he won a lottery to climb Mount Whitney. It took him 15 hours to do the 22-mile climb, leaving at 4 a.m. with a headlamp on and returning at 7 p.m. When Bechter made it to the top, he soaked in the stunning 90-mile view of the Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Death Valley National Park all at once.
“It took my breath away,” says the New Franklin resident and father of one. “I have a 22-by-24 poster of that shot on the wall in our foyer that’s gorgeous. I caught the sun and everything just right.”
Now at 67, he’s summited 11 mountains, including two of the other highest peaks in the continental U.S., Mount Elbert and Mount Massive. To prep for these huge feats, Bechter hikes Sand Run Metro Park with a heavy backpack and goes up and down the steps at the McKinley Monument.
He’s used his hobby for good too. His Mount Whitney climb helped raise money to replace the organ at St. Bernard’s Church, where he’s ushered for more than 25 years. To raise even more funds for a new organ, he also biked from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. The retired lumber buyer still does projects and uses his skills to give back by building ramps to help handicapped people access their homes.
Driven by the goals he sets for himself, Bechter aims to stay active.
“I’m not a couch potato,” he says. “Most of the time, I’m moving. It’s just that sense of accomplishment. And helping people too. If somebody needs something, I’ll be there.”
