July 6, 2021 — We thought we’d just keep the independence vibe going today by hearing from one of the most admirably independent people we know: Hannlis! For those new to our Cardie community, H is the 97-year-young friend and neighbor of our founder Jodee, who has written of her for years here. This “Cardie Oma” still very much leads her own life, and has inspired quite a following (i.e., 70 Cardies sent her birthday cards last year, how fun is that?!). Because her fans see her as growing more amazing with every passing year, we asked Hannlis to share her thoughts on independence with us all. Here’s what she had to say:

“When I was just a toddler back in Germany, I would run and jump into my grandparent’s pool so often that my parents said it was time I learned to swim. Learning freed me to swim not only in the pool, but in the river nearby and then — the best! — the ocean. My parents taught me from the start to be independent: If you can’t do something for yourself one way, learn another way! And there is always another way.

“At 17, I began studying physical therapy at the Marburg University hospital. This was early in World War II, so our patients were soldiers who were either injured or had suffered severe frostbite fighting in Russia. I remember one young soldier named Erik who had lost all his toes to frostbite and — because the toes are essential to balance — he was very sad at the thought that he would never walk again.

“I said to him, ‘Wait just a minute. The hospital is giving you orthopedic shoes with inserts that will serve as artificial toes. And the body can do a lot to heal itself. But you must believe that. If you do, you are not only going to walk again, you’re going to dance with me!’

“Over the next few months, we did a lot of dancing, because all the different movements — stepping forward, backwards and especially the turns — helped Erik regain his strength and balance. While at first very doubtful, he became excited about the possibility of gaining his independence again.

“When Erik was released from the hospital, he was taking the stairs two at a time. I thought of him as my prize patient because he had been such a success. It was his attitude, you see, his ability to believe that he would get better and be able to walk again that made it possible. The day we said goodbye, he told me, ‘I will be thinking of you — and thanking you — for the rest of my life.’

“I was a physical therapist until I was 75 so, over the years, helped many people regain their independence. That is a very good feeling. I retired only because I no longer had the physical strength to lift some of the patients that required that help. I’ll celebrate my 98th birthday in a few months, so am often asked the secret to living independently as we age. I’d say it would be to accept the truth of your condition and then find new ways of doing the things you have always done.

“If you don’t accept your circumstances, you’ll be unhappy. I know some people won’t accept that they would benefit from using a walker. They say, ‘It will make me look old!’ When I hear that, my first thought is always, ‘But you are old, and it’s too bad you won’t accept that because using a walker would allow you to walk on your own just a little longer.’ Independence, to me, is the basic idea of life, even as we grow older. So do things on your own just as long as possible.

“I’ve had to accept that my strength is getting less and less. Everyone’s world shrinks soon enough. Mine is now 40 steps to my building’s oceanfront balcony and back and I know that, if I don’t make that trip several times today, I’ll have a harder time tomorrow. If I don’t go up and down the stairs from my second floor apartment to the ground floor, using those stairs for practice and exercise, I will no longer be able to take them at all. Every day I tell myself to do as much as I can — no more and no less.

“Just as I was a cheerleader for that young soldier back in Germany, many of you kind Cardies have become a cheerleader for me. The lovely messages you write inside the cards you send make me feel that I’m still making a difference in this world, so I want to be sure you know that you have made a real difference in mine. Many thanks!”