WELL
KENNEDY FAMILY AND RENOWNED WELL
KENNEDY FAMILY AND RENOWNED JOURNALIST THIS MOTHER’S DAY, MARIA SHRIVER IS SHARING HER
LIFE LESSONS AS SHE PREPARES TO
BE A GRANDMOTHER GET AGAIN.
KIMBERLY GAIL SAT DOWN WITH
DRIVER AS SHE PREPARED TO GIVE
HER COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN GRADUATES
. A SPEECH WHERE SHE TALKED
ABOUT GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FEARS
AND OVERCOMING YOUR DOUBTS.
KIMJONGILIA NOW TO SHARE HER
STORY. THAT ONE ON ONE
CONVERSATION. YES WE TALKED
ABOUT FAMILY MOTHERHOOD. WHAT
IT’S LIKE NOW THAT SHE’S A
GRANDMOTHER AND WHY SHE’S USING
HER VOICE TO BRING MUCH NEEDED
ATTENTION TO ALZHEIMER’S
PREVENTION, PARTICULARLY IN
WOMEN. I WANT TO START WITH
TALKING ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. UH
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A
GRANDMOTHER? WELL, IT’S
EXTRAORDINARY. IT’S A BLESSING
TO BE ABLE TO BE ALIVE,
OBVIOUSLY, AND BE ABLE TO VIA
GRANDMOTHER, RIGHT. SO MANY
PEOPLE DON’T GET THAT
OPPORTUNITY. SO I BECAME A
GRANDMOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME
WHEN HER OLDEST DAUGHTER,
CATHERINE, GAVE BIRTH TO A BABY
GIRL. CATHERINE IS ONE OF FOUR
CHILDREN SHRIVER SHARES WITH
ACTOR AND FORMER GOVERNOR OF
CALIFORNIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
HAVE ALL FOUR OF MY KIDS WITH,
YOU KNOW, AND 15 MINUTES OF ME.
I GET TO SEE THEM ALL A LOT. AND
SO TO HAVE THIS NEW RELATIONSHIP
WITH THIS NEW PERSON IS SUCH A
GIFT. AND I THANK GOD EVERYDAY
THAT I’M ALIVE TO HAVE THAT
EXPERIENCE AND I’M GOING TO HAVE
IT AGAIN. SO CERTAINLY BEING A
MOTHER HAS THE GREATEST
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MY LIFE AND
THE GREATEST JOY OF MY LIFE AND
SO I’VE BEEN A GRANDMOTHER IS A
WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE FAMOUS
KENNEDY FAMILY. SHRIVER’S MOTHER
, EUNICE, WAS THE SISTER OF
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY AND U
S SENATORS ROBERT AND TED
KENNEDY. HER MOM WAS HER BIGGEST
SUPPORTER AND ROLE MODEL. BUT
SHE ADMITS THEIR PARENTING
STYLES ARE DIFFERENT. WELL I’M A
DIFFERENT MOM THAN MY MOM.
OBVIOUSLY IT’S A DIFFERENT
GENERATION. BUT I LEARNED A LOT
FROM HER ABOUT FAMILY ABOUT
LOYALTY ABOUT STAYING CONNECTED
ABOUT WORKING. THE RELATIONSHIP
WITH YOUR CHILDREN. SHE WAS
REALLY STRICT. I’M I DON’T THINK
I’M FAT STRICT, FOLLOWED IN HER
MOTHER’S FOOTSTEPS. AS AN
ACTIVIST. SHE FOUNDED THE
WOMEN’S ALZHEIMER’S MOVEMENT
AFTER HER FATHER DIED WITH IT IN
2011. SHE HAS WORKED TO EDUCATE
PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN ON
PREVENTIVE MEASURES. TO REDUCE
THE RISK OF DEVELOPING THE
DISEASE. MY DAD THAT MADE ME
CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT ALZHEIMER’S
WAS, I KIND OF PUT ON MY
JOURNALIST HAT AND I SAID, YOU
KNOW, WHAT IS THIS DISEASE THAT
COULD ROB SOMEBODY THAT
INTELLIGENT OF THEIR BRAIN OF
THEIR MIND. I SPENT SEVERAL
YEARS KIND OF RESEARCHING IT AND
FOUND THAT IT DISPROPORTIONATELY
IMPACTED WOMEN. SO I DID A
REPORT ON THAT AND FOUND OUT
THAT WOMEN’S RESEARCH LAG
DECADES BEHIND MEN’S WHAT WOULD
YOU WANT WOMEN TO KNOW ABOUT
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE? WELL, FIRST
, I’D WANT WOMEN TO KNOW THAT
THEY’VE GOT TO TAKE CONTROL OF
THEIR HEALTH. THEY CAN’T THINK
YOU KNOW. I’LL PUT MY KIDS FIRST
. I’LL PUT MY PARTNER FIRST I
PUT MY JOB FIRST, AND I’LL BE
OKAY BECAUSE WOMEN ARE
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE BY DEPRESSION
BY NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE. AND
WOMEN NEED TO KIND OF FOCUS ON
THEIR OWN HEALTH. THEY NEED TO
LOOK AT THEIR OWN BODIES. THEY
NEED TO TRUST THEIR OWN HEALTH.
THEY NEED TO GET DOCTORS WHO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE GOING
THROUGH. WE NEED A WHOLE
REVOLUTION WHEN IT COMES TO
PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE
HORMONES. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
HOW WOMEN AGE AND SO OFTEN THEY
GET. YOU KNOW, KIND OF CAUGHT
BETWEEN TAKING CARE OF
THEMSELVES, THEIR CHILDREN,
THEIR PARTNERS AND THEIR PARENTS
, AND I THINK THEY NEED A LOT
MORE ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT THAN
OUR SOCIETY AND THE BUSINESS AND
GOVERNMENT GIVES THEM YOU
MENTIONED AGING TALKED OPENLY
ABOUT THAT AND HOW WE KIND OF
NEED TO CHANGE SOME OF THE MYTHS
AND STEREOTYPES WITH AGING. I
THINK WE NEED TO REFRAME AGING
100% BECAUSE I THINK YOU KNOW IT
USED TO BE THAT YOU KIND OF GOT
TO 60. YOU RETIRED AND THEN DIED
AND PEOPLE ARE LIVING 80 9100
YEARS OLD PEOPLE ARE WORKING.
INTO THEIR NINETIES AND SOCIETY
AND MARKETING HASN’T REALLY
CAUGHT UP WITH THAT. SO I JUST
KIND OF HAVE A VISION FOR MY
FUTURE AND IT INVOLVES MORE WORK
, AND IT INVOLVES WORK THAT I
FIND MEANINGFUL AND BENEFICIAL.
AND JOYFUL AND IT INVOLVES MY
FAMILY, AND I FEEL REALLY
BLESSED THAT MY MIND HAS ALLOWED
ME TO WRITE TO BE CURIOUS TO
INVENT TO CREATE TO IMAGINE. AND
THAT’S WHY I THINK YOU KNOW,
LOSING ONE’S MIND IS SUCH A
TRAGEDY. UM AND SO THAT’S WHAT’S
REALLY, YOU KNOW, PART OF MY
MISSION IS TO HELP OTHERS NOT
LOSE THEIR MIND AND TO EMPOWER
OTHERS TO SEE THEMSELVES. AS