Del Webb Stone Creek resident won’t let degenerative eye disease slow her exercise regimen

OCALA, Fla. --- Edith Strub, a six year resident of Del Webb Stone Creek in Ocala, looks out every day at the rolling hills, tree-lined streets, pleasant homes and smiling neighbors knowing that one day she’ll likely give it all up. Strub suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, an incurable degenerative eye disease that could eventually result in her blindness. But Strub won’t let that stop her from her daily exercise regiment. She is determined to improve her fitness everyday. “Edith is an inspiration to me,” says Judy Helfin, fitness director at the Elan Spa at Del Webb Stone Creek. When Strub moved to Del Webb Stone Creek six years ago, one of her first stops was the fitness center. “She began exercising from the start,” Helfin said, “And she has been devoted to it ever since.” When Del Webb Stone Creek opened its state-of-the-art Elan Spa five years ago, Strub was one of the first visitors, and she has been a regular since that time. “Edith’s eye disease causes progressive loss of vision, and eventually it could affect her central vision,” Helfin explained. Diagnosed in 1974, Strub was still driving when she moved to Del Webb Stone Creek, but she has since been forced to give up that pleasure. Over the past several months she has noticed more progressive changes. But she won’t accept sympathy from anyone. “When I first met Edith a few months ago, I noticed she doesn’t want any special treatment,” Helfin observed, “She just wants to fit in, work out and feel good,” she said. “Fitness training is important to me to keep up my independence,” Strub explained. “Exercise helps me physically and mentally. I feel better, I think more clearly, and enjoy the rest of the day even more,” she said. Strub is something of a connoisseur of fitness clubs, and she prefers Elan Spa at Del Webb Stone Creek over all the others she has visited in Florida. “All the instructors and staff have been very accommodating for my special needs. They make me feel like I fit in,” Strub said. Del Webb Stone Creek is one of the largest Del Webb communities in the U.S. featuring Reflection Bay – an amenity center encompassing almost 50,000 square feet with fitness and event gathering areas – the Stone Creek Grille, Stone Creek Golf Club with an 18-hole championship golf course and a planned 29 acres of open space and common areas. Models are open daily for viewing.