Sister André lived through the 1918 flu pandemic, two world wars and “many sad events,” she once said. As the oldest known person in Europe, she turns 117 on Thursday and has now achieved another feat: defeating the coronavirus, almost without complications.
“She is recovered, along with all the residents here,” said David Tavella, the spokesman for the Ste. Catherine Labouré nursing home in Toulon, a city in southeastern France, where Sister André resides. “She is calm, very radiant and is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday,” he said, adding that the most famous resident of the house was resting on Wednesday and needed a break from interviews.
The coronavirus swept the nursing home last month, as nurses began to consult residents about vaccines; 81 of its 88 residents were infected, including Sister André, and 11 eventually died.
Tavella said that until last month, no cases had been detected in the nursing home since the pandemic began. Still, the outbreak was a stark reminder that the virus has been devastating in places where the most vulnerable live, even with severe restrictions that have turned many nursing homes in the country and elsewhere in Europe into fortresses.
Sister André remained isolated for weeks and felt a little “patraque”, or without color, said Tavella, but she blamed the virus and not her age. She slept more than usual, but she prayed and remained asymptomatic. This week, she became the oldest person known to survive Covid-19.
“She kept saying to me, ‘I’m not afraid of Covid because I’m not afraid to die, so give my doses of vaccine to those who need them,” said Tavella.
Sister André’s story made headlines in France, providing some uplifting news in a country where thousands of nursing home residents died.
France started vaccinating health workers this week, but officials have faced criticism for a slow implementation that has so far kept France fighting an increasing number of infections, with no limits on sight. As of Wednesday, 2.2 million people have been vaccinated, less than 3% of the population.
Nursing home managers restricted visits or asked relatives to wear aprons, masks, gloves and glasses to protect residents. Many residents remained isolated for almost a year, unable to spend Christmas with their families.
Sister André was born Lucile Randon in 1904, and received her ecclesiastical title in 1944 when she joined a Catholic charity. Now blind and in a wheelchair, she sometimes feels lonely and dependent, she told French media in interviews in recent years, but she accepted the ordeal that the pandemic brought, said Tavella.
“When you were a teenager during a pandemic that killed tens of millions and saw the horrors of two world wars, you put things in perspective,” added Tavella.
The stories of other people who age through the pandemic also provide stories of resilience, despair and hope. In Belgium, Simon Gronowski, a Holocaust survivor, raised his neighbors by playing the piano. In New Jersey, Sylvia Goldsholl defeated the coronavirus last year at the age of 108 because, she said, “she was determined to survive”.
Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British Army veteran who became a national hero during the pandemic by raising tens of millions of pounds for Britain’s National Health Service, died of coronavirus last week, generating countless tributes in the country and beyond.
Mr. Tavella said that Sister André remained patient for weeks of isolation, although the chatty nun sometimes asked when she could see people again.
“Sister André did not feel the disease, so she wondered why we were talking about the coronavirus every day, why she could not receive visits from us in the nursing home, or from relatives or other residents,” Mr. Tavella added.
As of Wednesday, most of the asylum residents were out of isolation and Sister André was preparing for her birthday.
She must be quite busy on Thursday. After a phone call with her family, she will have another one with the mayor of Toulon, before greeting the bishop who will visit her.
Then comes the fun part: Port wine as a starter for lunch, followed by foie gras with hot figs. Sister André will have roasted capon with mushrooms and sweet potatoes as a main dish, followed by a platter of two cheeses – Roquefort and goat cheese – and perhaps a few glasses of red wine.
And finally, your favorite dessert: a Baked Alaska with a raspberry and peach flavor. This will come with a glass of champagne.