A woman who will soon celebrate her 116th birthday, survived the corona virus after falling ill about two years ago and is now the sole holder of the Guinness record for “world’s oldest living person”. In addition to that – she is probably the oldest person in the world who has recovered from the corona virus. Until now, the title belonged to Sister Andrea or, by her given name, Lucille Rendon of France, who died at the age of 118.
Maria Bernias, 115 years old, was born in San Francisco, USA on March 4, 1907 to a Catalan family that immigrated to California a year earlier, but moved with her parents to live in Catalonia when she was a child. The family made a decision to return to Spain in 1915 and during World War I, Bernias’ father , Joseph, fell ill and died of tuberculosis.
She married Joan Mamort, a Catalan doctor in 1931 when she was 23 years old and had three children with him, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Since then she also lost her mother, her three brothers and one of her three children, as well as her husband who died at the age of 72.
Bernias, who has lived in an assisted living facility in the town of Olot since she was 92 years old, played the piano, read newspapers and exercised every morning until she was 105. The director of the nursing home said: “Maria is in good health for her age, it’s just that she has a little difficulty since her vision and hearing have been damaged over time. A little difficult She can leave her room but she is still able to walk. We take care of her and take care of her so that she can continue and extend years by our side.”