In the weeks leading up to her 117th birthday, Sister André spent her days secluded in her room at the Sainte Catherine Labouré nursing home in the city of Toulon, in the south of France. The nun was one of dozens of residents in the household who tested positive for coronavirus.
But on Tuesday, Sister André was declared recovered from the virus, a spokeswoman for her nursing home told Reuters, allowing her to keep the title of the oldest European living and the second oldest person in the world, according to the “World Supercentenarian Rankings List. “
“We consider it cured. She is very calm and looks forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday, ”spokesman David Tavella told Reuters.
Ten others in the nursing home died of covid-19, reported Le Parisien, after 81 of the 88 residents tested positive in January. There were more than 3.4 million cases in France and more than 80,000 deaths, according to the Washington Post’s coveted tracker.
Sister André, originally called Lucile Randon, was born on February 11, 1904, in Alès, a municipality in the Occitanie region, in the south of France. She grew up in a non-religious Protestant family and worked from a young age as a housekeeper in Marseille and as a tutor in Paris, according to Le Parisien.
She converted to Catholicism at 19 and, at 25, started working in a hospital. For 28 years she cared for the elderly and orphaned children. In 1944, she joined the Daughters of Charity to become a nun at the age of 40. She took on the name of Sister André in honor of her deceased brother and, in 2009, moved to an asylum, reported Le Parisien.
When Sister André turned 115, Pope Francis sent her a personal letter and a blessed rosary, according to FAMVIN, a religious news service.
After the diagnosis of covid-19 in mid-January, Sister André was asymptomatic. Blind and in a wheelchair, the retired nun who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic and the two world wars told French TV BFM that she was not afraid when she was positive because she is not afraid to die.
“I am happy to be with you, but I would like to be somewhere else – to join my older brother, grandfather and grandmother,” she said, according to a Reuters translation of that TV interview.
Tavella told the Var-Matin newspaper that the nun was more concerned with a disturbance in her routine than in her health.
“She wanted to know, for example, if mealtimes and bedtime would change,” said Tavella. “She showed no fear of the disease, in fact, she was more concerned with the other residents.”
While isolated, Sister André spent most of her time praying, she told Le Parisien, and looking forward to the days when she could have meals with friends and stroll in the garden.
Tavella told the newspaper that the nun is very sociable and likes to listen to music.
As for her 117th birthday on Thursday, Tavella told Reuters that Sister André is “very calm” and “eager to celebrate”. He added that the meeting will be small, given the ambitious risks.
“She is very lucky,” said Tavella.