Whether it was the power of her prayers or her T cells that did this, French nun Lucile Randon, 116, survived COVID-19.
The nun, whose religious name is Sister André, is the second oldest living person known in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people aged 110 and over.
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French media reports that the nun, whose religious name is Sister André, tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the city of Toulon, in the south of France. But just three weeks later she is in shape like a fiddle – although in her normal wheelchair. She is healthy enough to look forward to her 117th birthday on Thursday.
She told the Var-Matin newspaper “I didn’t even realize I had it.”
Sister André, who is blind, did not even bother to learn the news of the diagnosis.
“She did not ask me about her health, but about her habits,” David Tavella, communications manager for the nursing home where she lives, told the newspaper. “For example, she wanted to know if mealtimes or bedtime would change. She was not afraid of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents.”
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Not everyone shared Sister André’s luck: in January, 81 of the 88 residents of the establishment had a positive result and about 10 died, according to the newspaper.
The nun is now officially healed – she was allowed to attend mass.