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While the world tries to contain COVID-19 and protect the more vulnerable, 107-year-old Anna Del Priore has managed to survive the virus after contracting it earlier this summer. And it wasn’t the first time she had to cope with such a deadly disease.
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Back when she was a young girl, Del Priore caught the Spanish flu, but managed to survive it. Incredibly, over 100 years later, her frail body couldn’t escape coronavirus. Her 66-year-old granddaughter Darlene Jasmine believed that she would succumb to the disease. However, God and Del Priore had other plans.
“I was excited when she came out of it, but I mean, that’s her. She doesn’t let anything get her down. She went through the Spanish flu and got over that. She loves life and she probably had in her mind that this wasn’t the end,” Jasmine explained to Today.
The former seamstress grew up in Brooklyn with her five siblings and her parents, who were both deaf. She then met her husband, Frank, who was a professional tango dancer. The couple then spent years enjoying dancing together. Even after her husband died, Del Priore kept active, and up until her 100th birthday she used to walk over a mile each day to catch up with friends.
“She doesn’t think about her age; she just enjoys every day. She loves to dance and loves music. When she hears the music, her foot starts tapping. She doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Life is there to be enjoyed,” shared her granddaughter.
And it seems Del Priore’s joie de vivre runs in the family, with her 105-year-old sister, Helen, also surviving the two pandemics.
You might ask how the joyful senior has managed to survive such devastating viruses. Perhaps it’s due in part to her outlook on life: “Be good to others, keep good friends, be honest, love God — and I eat lots of hot peppers!”
If you know of any vulnerable elderly who might need a little support through these tricky times, click on the slideshow below for a few handy tips:
