2 BOCNEWS.com APRIL 2018 wonderful luncheon meal of baked chicken, pulled pork, baked beans, rolls & butter, beverages (compliments of Fat Boys) and delicious birthday cake to all of Ms. Roberta’s guests. Officer Seneca, a member of the Aurora Police Department works in the Special Victims Unit and is responsible for looking out for seniors throughout the City of Aurora; he has known Ms. Roberta for over five years. Special Friend, Pat Victor and niece, Brianna White assisted with party set-up. Opening prayer was offered by Minister Mattie Guffie, and Carol Gallaway serenaded Ms. Roberta with a cool & jazzy birthday song. Many guests took the microphone and offered special birthday accolades to the local celebrity. Ms. Roberta shared that she has been working in the dining room at the Del Mar Senior Center for 17 years. Growing up in Louisiana, Ms. Roberta stated that she remembers rushing home from school every day in order to help her mom cook, clean and help babysit younger siblings. Her favorite food includes chicken wings, collard & mustard greens, cornbread, peach cobbler & sweet potato pie; she also enjoys watching tele- vision and movies. Guests inundated Ms. Roberta with flowers, balloons, gifts from the heart, hugs and heartfelt prayers. In addition to family here in town, special guests included nephew, Ronnie Wilson (California); great, great niece, Brianna White (Mississippi); nephew, Wayne Jones & family (Arizona); niece, Monica Jones & family (Arizona), Rev. William T. Golson (Tennessee); and Rev. Dr. Shannon J. Warner & many members of Ms. Roberta & Bessie’s home church, True Light Baptist Church. During the year that Ms. Roberta was born, friends learned that Woodrow Wilson (Democrat - New Jersey) was President of the United States; World War I ended on 11/11/18; the U.S. Congress approved daylight saving time that went into effect on 3/31/18; and the U.S. Post Office Department (later renamed the U.S. Postal Service) became the 1st regular airmail service in the world. Sisters Betty Funderburke & Elinora Reynolds- Brown announced that SISTERS ENTERPRISE will salute this phenomenal woman who has made a big difference in the lives of so many with the “Centenarian of the Year Award” at their Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) Program scheduled for Sat., June 30, 2018. Sisters Enterprise will also present Officer James Seneca with one of their RAOK awards at the 2018 program. For more infor- mation, contact Sisters Enterprise at (303) 324- 5927 or www.SistersEnterprise.weebly.com "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept- able unto God, which is your reason- able service." Romans 12:1 Iwas one of the many people moved by televised and printed pictures of young children suffering from severe malnutrition and starvation. I was so moved by this that in 1984, rela- tively early in my medical career, I went along with my wife and children to serve as missionaries to Ethiopia- which was severely impacted by a fam- ine. It was an unforgettable experience which changed our lives and this left us with a desire to help those abroad who suffer disease and hunger. It also left us with a desire to help those in our own community who suffer health problems and unnecessary illness, and indeed premature death. We always need to be sensitive to health issues as we or someone we love or know may suffer from many ailments we are susceptible to. I have thought for years that those who suffer from malnutrition and hun- ger greatly outnumber those who are overweight. I was astonished to find out that this is not reality at all. Recent medical literature from multiple arti- cles, and multiple sources especially in the past 3-4 years report that now obesity is a bigger problem than world hunger. This does not mean that we no longer have malnourished people in the world, it just means that there are more of us living on this planet who suffer from being obese or overweight. The reality we need to confront is that being obese is a significant health risk and a large amount of money is spent on the illnesses that result. Worldwide, obesity has nearly tri- pled since 1975 and 2016. The only regions that are less affected are sub- Saharan Africa and Asia. At the pres- ent time there are 795 million people who just do not get enough food to eat, but there are 2.1 billion people who are overweight or obese. We can- not be complacent about either of these realities. Why? Because a sig- nificant amount of human suffering is involved. We just need to come to grip with the facts and be aware of the situations. Despite the disparity in the numbers as noted, I will never lose my desire to help the hungry. In addition, I am forever committed to helping those who have issues with their weight as I have spent countless hours trying to help them and I have seen them in multiple places including the ER, intensive care unit, the clinic and even in nursing homes for health issues aggravated by obesity. We can anticipate that things may get worse, and the medical costs and the amount of suffering will increase. We are talking about all age groups, from children to the aged. We are also talking about people who live world- wide as this is a global health issue. Everyone affected needs help and that may seem like an ominous statement. However, intervention is feasible and mandatory. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumu- lation that may impair health. Weight can be further defined by a term called the body mass index (BMI) which is an index of weight-for-height. It is defined by a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. You can even find this on your cell phone or computer by looking up BMI and just entering your height and weight in the spaces noted. Overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25 and obesity greater than or equal to 30. It is not a perfect measure but may be the best one we have. If your BMI is elevated, you might want to pay attention to this and discuss it with your doctor. What causes us to be overweight and obese? It is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calo- ries expended. In other words, eating too much and just being too inactive physically. If you eat too much food, especially that which is high in fat, calories and sugar, and you are too sedentary (or just sitting) you can be sure that undesired weight gain is a consequence. Global overeating is a problem. At times you may not seem to eat too much but the prevalence of cheap unhealthy food is actually a health hazard. In our country we have pervasive and relentless advertising for unhealthy and high calorie food items, which aggravates the problem. One simple way to control weight gain is to avoid eating anything advertised on TV! The consequences of a too high BMI and body weight for your height include: ■ ■ Heart disease: Heart attack, strokes, and high blood pressure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in our country and else- where ■ ■ Diabetes: with all of its many potential complications ■ ■ Joint disorder especially arthritis ■ ■ Some cancers including uterus, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon ■ ■ Remember obesity and overweight may begin in childhood How can we combat the problem of obesity and overweight? ■ ■ limit intake of fats and sugar-cut down on obviously fatty food and red meat, and fried foods. Cut down or eliminate "fast foods" ■ ■ increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts ■ ■ Engage in physical activity daily: 60 minutes daily for children and 150 minutes weekly for adults ■ ■ Monitor your weight ■ ■ Discuss things with your doctor and remember the solution is not a pill for weight loss, but healthy habits as noted above May God bless you and help you to live longer and better! A Worldwide Health Challenge Dr. Conner By Byron E. Conner, M.D. HEALTH Roberta Thomas Honored at 100th Birthday Celebration She remembers rushing home from school every day in order to help her mom cook, clean and help babysit younger siblings. continued from cover