CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia woman is walking into her 100th year of life this week.
Annie Mae Jackson will become a centenarian on Aug. 11. Born in 1923 in Sand Mountain, Alabama, Jackson now calls Cartersville, Georgia home.
Through the decades, she's picked up a habit that she still sticks to today - all thanks to a visit to a doctor.
Sometime in her mid-40s, Jackson visited a therapist to address her arthritis. She was told to either get moving or be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
So Jackson got moving!
Inspired by Jack Lalanne and Richard Simmons as her exercise gurus, Jackson has burned through four exercise bikes in her lifetime, according to caretakers.
Years went by and she slowed down but never stopped. Instead, Jackson would walk around her neighborhood every day. When that was no longer an option, she took on a new route: her driveway.
Such is life, her eyesight started to diminish and hearing wasn't what it once was. Out of safety she learned to limit her walking regime and carved out a new route inside her house as a compromise. Her caretakers said she eventually wore out a path in her carpet.
As Jackson approaches 100 years old, she's still getting her steps in.
Jackson now continues her daily walks in the hallways of Tiger Lily Estates Assisted Living. Her caretakers say she is the "epitome of persistence and determination."
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at WhereAtlantaSpeaks@11Alive.com.
