A French nun who
survived both world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic and a coronavirus infection
is marking her 117th birthday with red wine, a Mass in her honor and dinner
followed by her favorite dessert: baked Alaska.
Sister André, who is
believed to be the second-oldest person in the world, is set to spend Thursday
celebrating her long life at her care home in the French city of Toulon. The
facility’s spokesman, David Tavella, told the Associated Press that
the nun was “in great shape” and “really happy,” ahead of a busy schedule that
would feature a video call with her family, a service hosted by the bishop of
Toulon and a champagne birthday feast.
Tavella said the menu would include
foie gras, capon with fragrant mushrooms and some alcohol to toast the
occasion.
“All
of it washed down with red wine, because she drinks red wine. It’s one of her
secrets of longevity. And a bit of Champagne with dessert, because 117 years
have to be toasted,” he said to the AP.
In
the weeks leading up to her 117th birthday, Sister André spent her
days isolated in her room at the Sainte Catherine Labouré retirement home in
the southern French city of Toulon. The nun was one of dozens of
residents at the home who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ten others at the retirement home died of
covid-19, Le Parisien reported, after 81 of the 88 residents tested positive in
January. There have been more than 3.4 million cases in France and more than
80,000 deaths, according to The Washington Post’s COVID tracker.
When Sister André turned 115, Pope Francis sent
her a personal letter and a blessed rosary, according to FAMVIN, a religious news service.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/10/nun-117-survive-covid-france/
Even at 117, she is not the oldest person in the world, since
a Japanese woman named Kane Tanaka, became 118 in January.
Tanaka
has had several major illnesses, and was infected with paratyphoid
fever with her adopted daughter at the age of 35. She
underwent pancreatic
cancer surgery at the age of 45. Most recently, Kane was
diagnosed with colorectal
cancer and underwent surgery when she was 103 years old. Her
life and longevity were noted by her second son and his wife four years later
when they published a book called: In Good and Bad Times, 107 Years Old At
the age of 114, she was interviewed by KBC in September 2017.[ Kane said she would like to live
to the age of 120, crediting family, sleep, hope, eating good food, and
practicing math for her longevity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people
I’ve
written about really old people a few times in the past.
https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-secret-to-long-life.html
https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2013/01/older-than-dirt.html
https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-value-of-being-poor.html
What’s surprising as that their lifestyles were not
particularly healthy.
Jeanne Calment, for example, lived to be 122. Although olive
oil was part of her daily routine, she smoked until she was 117, had dessert with
every meal, ate 2 pounds of chocolate every week, and frequently had a glass of
port wine with her meals.
America's
oldest living veteran ((Richard
Overton) recently met with President Obama in 2013 at the White
House. At the time, he was 107 years old, and has survived by taking no
medicine other than aspirin, drinking whiskey with his morning coffee, and
smoking up to 12 cigars a day.
Sarah Knauss, number 2 on the list, was born in
an impoverished coal mining town in Pennsylvania, and was a
homemaker for most of her life. She confessed to a fondness for chocolate
turtles, cashews, and potato chips. Her daughter (who lived to be 101 herself)
attributed her mother’s long life to the fact that “she was a very
tranquil person, and nothing fazes her”.
Lucy Hannah, number 3 on the list, was one of
the eight children born to slaves living in
southern Alabama. After she and her husband moved to Detroit to work in the
auto factories, they also had 8 children. Two of Lucy’s sisters lived to be
100, and her mother (who was whipped every day when she was a slave) lived to
be 99.
Elizabeth Bolden, number 7 on the list, was born
in southern Tennessee, and was the daughter of freed slaves. She
and her husband had 7 children, most of whom passed before she did.
She is survived by a LARGE NUMBER of relatives, including 75
great-great-great-great-children.
Besse Cooper, number 8 on the list, was the
third of eight children born to her parents in a tiny town in
Tennessee. She was a school teacher for many years, and her husband was a farmer.
After her husband’s death, she lived alone on their farm for 48 years, and
finally moved into a nursing home when she was 105.
Finally, Maggie Barnes (number 9 on the list)
was also the child of slaves. She married a tenant farmer, and they
had 15 children together, 11 of whom preceded her in death.
I
took the RealAge test again this morning, and discovered that I am actually 1
year and 8 months younger than my chronological age. Three of my relatives
lived to be 95 years old, and my uncle Harold was still drinking beer well into
his 90’s.
If you want to live a long life, it’s good to watch what you eat, and to live a healthy lifestyle, but now you know the REAL SECRET to living to a ripe old age:
Be poor - and stay calm.
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