A 107-year-old grandmother from New Jersey who survived the Spanish flu a century ago is now a two-time pandemic survivor after hitting COVID-19.
Brooklyn resident Anna Del Priore, who turns 108 next month, was diagnosed with the coronavirus in May and her granddaughter, Darlene Jasmine, had adopted the worst, the Asbury Park Press reports.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is it,'” Jasmine told the newspaper. “This is the thing that will take her down.”
But Del Priore, who contracted the Spanish flu during the 1918 flu pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, did not fight the virus. Instead of being mobile, she dances as much as possible in Brighton Gardens, an assistant residential facility in Middletown.
“She always dances, always loves music,” said Jasmine, 66. “As soon as she hears music, her foot starts ticking.”
Del Priore had a fever and lost her appetite after being diagnosed with COVID-19, but she did not have to be placed on a ventilator or taken to a hospital, her grandmother said.
She has since gone back to her full activities of swimming, sewing and a few dance steps if she can, the sprightly centenarian told the newspaper.
“I feel good,” Del Priore said. “I thank God I live.”
Jasmine thinks her grandmother’s contagion with the Spanish flu, which also affected her respiratory system, may have something to do with her ability to fight off the coronavirus – which has killed 163,473 Americans since early Tuesday, according to John Hopkins University.
Jasmine said the survival of her grandmother is a ‘miracle’, but noted her life that she stays in shape and eats well.
“She’s constantly moving,” Jasmine said. ‘We always walked in Brooklyn – to the groceries, to the bakery. Every night she would make a homemade meal from it all. All Mediterranean foods – olive oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts. It’s like the old cabbage they pay for you now. ‘
Del Priore is now among a select couple of seventy-seven who have survived COVID-19, according to a gerontology site quoted by the Asbury Park Press. Two 108-year-old Americans have contracted the virus, while seven U.S. citizens aged 107 or older have done so, the newspaper reports.
The oldest person worldwide confirmed that he has contracted the coronavirus is a 113-year-old woman in Spain, according to the site.
Anna’s sister, 105-year-old Helen Guzzone from Queens, also survived both the Spanish flu and COVID-19, Jasmine said.
Staff at Del Priore’s home installation meanwhile said she’s an inspiration to watch.
“People do not believe me,” said Del Priore’s health care coordinator Laura Halle. “It’s been really great to watch her journey … For the rest of my life I will be able to say that I met and loved someone who made it so far and stayed healthy.”
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