100-Year-Old Accidental Influencer and Author
An Unexpected Mother and Daughter Team Up to Share Tips on Life and Longevity
SELFIE
The sun shone as we sat having our breakfast in the all-glass room on a top deck on the cruise ship. It was buffet style, and Mom had filled her plate with a heaping portion of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon.
This was the second cruise that the three of us took together: Mom and her two surviving children, yours truly, and my middle brother. My elder brother tragically passed away from cancer in September 2019. Until then, Mom had always proudly declared there was no cancer in our family. We were all shocked when my brother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Three years later we were standing at his grave.
A mother is never supposed to bury her child. To find solace, we planned a cruise just for the three of us to come together and start healing. My middle brother had been very close to our big brother. They grew up in the same room and spoke every day. As a single woman who never had children, my oldest brother was my rock. When he died, so did my emergency number.
This cruise ended up being the first of three that we would take in two years.
I looked at Mom, who was about to grab another piece of bacon, and aimed my phone at her, hit record, and asked her what it was like to turn 99.
She began, “This is a big week for me. I cannot believe that I’m 99 and I still have my marbles. And I’m the luckiest woman in the world that I have a family that I think adores me . . .”
She continued and ended with what had become her signature closing, “Bye now.”
I posted it on Instagram. To my shock, it went viral. I launched my Instagram account to showcase my fine art photography and now decided to dedicate it to my mother and our adventures together.
As I write this Mom has over 100,000 followers on her social media accounts, outlived her cousins and her friends who were her contemporaries. Her current buddies whom she plays bridge, canasta, pan, and mahjong with are twenty to thirty years younger than her. Mother frequents happy hours sometimes alone where she is sure to make new acquaintances and often ends up having her drink paid for by someone she has charmed.
At 100, she is an accidental influencer and a first-time author.
After watching Mom’s videos filled with her tips on life and longevity, her fans kept requesting her book. After polling them on whether to go the traditional publishing route or self-published, they responded, “Self-publish. You don’t have time. Run a GoFundMe to get the money you need.”
I kicked into action and followed their advice. We raised enough money to put a team together and get the book written by us, edited, designed, formatted, and uploaded.
MILDRED’S MINDSET: WISDOM FROM A WOMAN CENTENARIAN is available on several online platforms including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and with the best prices being directly from our distributor, Ingram Spark. We have a website that has all the information about it, and the links where to buy the book.
Mom and I flew up to New York where we had two book launches. Each was magical. The first was at Lit Salon in Maison Brooklyn. It was a candlelit evening with classical music on a relentlessly heavy rainy night. We were sure hardly anyone would come. It was packed and sold out.
PHOTO BY TINA BUCKMAN
A few days later, the second book launch was in Bibliotheque in Soho, a new elegant bookstore that is also a cappuccino cafe during the day and wine bar at night. It, too, was sold out. We saw relatives we hadn’t seen in years and some we had never met before. Many old and new friends filled the room, including fans from social media.
Local television news came and covered the story, and then they had us come into the studio the following day to do a live segment.
I couldn’t imagine two better book launches and reviews.
“I am loving the book so much! I am only reading one section a day to keep it going longer! You two are an inspiration for mothers and daughters everywhere.”
“I love this book! It is fun and has great advice on how to live a fuller life at any age.”
PHOTO BY TINA BUCKMAN
Now, that Mom is home, I have stayed behind in New York to get work done.
As so many people love audiobooks and Mom’s Brooklyn accent, we are now raising the funds to realize that. We keep hearing from people in many locations asking us to come there to do a book signing. Our GoFundMe funds will also go towards creating marketing materials, securing publicity, and organizing and embarking on a book tour. We are so grateful for all our supporters who helped us complete Phase 1. We are now at 25% for Phase 2.
Mom is still doing well but slowing down. I am praying that we can pull the funds together in time to broaden our reach when she’s still able to get out and ensure my her wisdom and invaluable advice touches as many lives as possible.
My mission is to keep Mom going, giving her new things to look forward to while sharing inspirational and fun content with our fans.
As I’m a forgiveness coach (due to my own story as told in my film, “Look At Us Now, Mother!”), I see and have experienced the correlation between our mental and physical health. It is so important to live life openly, not hold onto secrets that create shame, and not hold onto rage, which affects all aspects of our lives.
My mother has lived a long life. I can attribute part of it to not living on pharmaceuticals which have side effects. And also, to not be riddled with fear and anxiety. She has passed on these traits to me, and I’m forever grateful to live life with curiosity, try new things, and explore new lands. She taught me to take local buses and eat off the kiosks on the streets, while always looking behind me and having street smarts.
I am forever grateful that now we can share her wisdom in a book.
