Sister turns 117 and wins the covid too

Sister Andre Randon, a nun in France, will turn 117 this week after surviving COVID-19 last month, her congregation announced on Tuesday. Born as Lucile Randon on February 11, 1904, she converted to Catholicism at the age of 19. After serving young and old children in a French hospital, she joined the Daughters of Charity, founded by Saint Vincent de Paul at the age. of 40. Seventy-six years later, Sister André moved to the Sainte Catherine Labouré retirement home in Toulon, southern France. It was there that, on January 16, she tested positive for COVID-19. She was isolated from the other residents but showed no symptoms.

According to BFM television, 81 of the facility's 88 residents tested positive for the virus in January and 10 died. Asked if she was afraid of COVID, Sister Andre told French television BFM: “No, I was not afraid because I was not afraid of dying… I am happy to be with you, but I wish I was somewhere else - join my brother. eldest, my grandfather and my grandmother. ”The nun will celebrate her 117th birthday on Thursday, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. According to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people believed to be 110 years old or older, Sister Andre is the second oldest living person in the world. The oldest person is Japanese Kane Tanaka, who turned 118 on January 2.

On her 115th birthday in 2019, Sister André received a card and a rosary blessed by Pope Francis, which she uses every day. When she turned 116 last year, the Vincentian nun shared her "recipe for a happy life": prayer and a cup of hot chocolate every day.