108-Year-Old Foster Mom Shares Her Longevity Secret
Arlena LaBon is celebrating her 108th birthday this week. She’s never had biological children, but she has been a mom for around 50 foster kids over the years, and her unique outlook on life may have helped her reach the age of 108.
“She is the most remarkable woman, healthy, an insatiable appetite,” LaBon’s great-niece Claudia Martin told Fox 8 Wednesday of the East Cleveland, Ohio, resident, adding that they had another cousin who lived to 114, so longevity runs in their genes.
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The centenarian said she doesn’t have any healthy eating secrets, but she does have a caring attitude that has served her well over the years. As a foster parent, LaBon wanted the kids in her home to have a good life and a strong education. “I gave them what I didn’t get,” she said.
LaBon grew up in North Carolina, where her family raised cotton and tobacco, and she attended “the little red schoolhouse in Snow Hill,” according to a 2014 interview with Kinston.com. She left school at 16 and went to Norfolk, Va., where she found cleaning, cooking, and restaurant jobs. “I was one of those dropouts,” she said. “I was tired of farming.”
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When she married, LaBon and her husband settled in Ohio. Over her many years, the core value of her life has been one of kindness and generosity. “Just love one another, baby, treat one another good,” she said. “I love everybody and will help everybody that I can.”
Fox 8 Cleveland’s Facebook post about LaBon has more than 3,400 likes and lots of heartfelt comments. “What an angel. I wish more people would think this way,” wrote one person. Another posted, “What a tremendous difference you’ve made in the lives of those kids!! Happy Birthday sweet lady!!”
Photo: Fox 8
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