PARIS (AP) – Question: How do you put enough candles on a birthday cake for one of the world’s oldest survivors of COVID-19? Answer: With 117 candles, you can’t.
A French nun who is believed to be the second oldest person in the world, celebrated her 117th birthday in style on Thursday, with several delights and wishes, books and flowers to nullify her exceptional longevity by two world wars and a recent coronavirus infection
Sister André also received a Mass in her honor and a feast with champagne, red wine and dress. Then came a nap followed by several festivities, including an afternoon Alaska baked snack, her favorite dessert.
“It made me very, very, very, very happy,” the girl said on her birthday. “Because I have met all those whom I love and thank heaven for giving them to me. I thank God for the troubles they have faced. ”
Sister André’s big day began running with a morning video call with her great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, followed by a Mass in her honor led by the local Catholic bishop, said David Tavella, communications manager for the nursing home from the south The French city of Toulon, where the nun lives.
Her birthday party included a foie gras start, followed by capon with fragrant mushrooms. “They all washed with red wine, because she drank red wine. It’s one of her secrets to longevity, “Tavella told the Associated Press. There was also the port and champagne “because 117 years must be fried,” he said.
She skipped dessert because she was tired, but was later served a nap – with three candles and the numbers 117 on top.
It would have been impossible to pack 117 candles.
“We stopped trying a long time ago,” Tavella said. “Even if we made big cakes, I’m not sure they would have enough breath to throw them all away. You would need a fire extinguisher. ”
André André’s birth name is Lucile Randon. Gerontology Research Group, which validates details about people believed to be 110 or older, lists her as the second oldest known person in the world, behind a 118-year-old woman from Japan, Kane Tanaka.
Tavella told French media earlier this week that Sister André tested positive for coronavirus in mid-January, but had so few symptoms that she did not even realize she was infected. Her survival caused a stir both in France and abroad.
“When the whole world suddenly started talking about this story, I realized that Sister André was a bit like an Olympic flame in a world tour that people want to catch, because we all need a little hope in this moment, ”Tavella said.
When Tavella spoke to her on Thursday about celebrating her next birthday in 2022, she replied, “I won’t be here next year,” he quoted her as saying, “But she’s been saying this for 10 years.”
Coincidentally, Tavella celebrated her 43rd birthday on Thursday.
“We often joke that she and I were born on the same day,” he said. “I never tell myself that he is 117 years old because he is so easy to talk to, regardless of age. Only when he talks about the First World War as if he lived it, do I realize: “Yes, he lived it!” ”
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Leicester reported from Le Pecq, France