Turning 100 is a big deal. But turning 100 after surviving the coronavirus — well, that’s something else!
Leora Martin, an Indiana woman who recently marked a century on this earth, previously overcame cancer and a more recent run-in with pneumonia only to catch COVID-19 as it swept through her nursing home.
But Martin beat back the disease, which seems to hit the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions the hardest. In fact, she was mostly asymptomatic, showing only signs of appetite loss and exhaustion.
Take a look at the happy centenarian in her room at Greenlake Health Campus in Elkhart, Indiana.
“Not only did Leora beat COVID-19, she also turned 100 this Saturday along with her twin sister from California,” Greenleaf Health Campus posted on June 15. “They were able to sing each other ‘Happy Birthday’ through Zoom and she received a visit from her daughter!”
Here’s a photo of Leora video chatting with her twin sister, Delora Bloomingdale, on their birthday, June 13, which she told WSBT22 News “almost made me cry.” The sisters were born in 1920.
Martin was able to have a socially distanced, in-person visit with daughter Marilou Snell, who hadn’t been able to see her mother face-to-face for several months while the nursing home went on lockdown to avoid further spread of COVID-19. Martin’s son and family in Arizona and Virginia were also able to video chat with Leora.
The 100-year-old has three children, four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren, some of whom can be seen below in a throwback photo posted by daughter Marilou a few months before Leora turned 100.
“I know her care is the best and she is doing well, improving in her rehab and getting some strength back. She is a tough one,” Snell wrote. “But I know she misses us too. I hear it in her words, but more in her voice. We are blessed to be able to FaceTime with her, but it’s not the same. So to those who don’t think this Covid 19 is a big deal, IT IS!!!!”
Martin’s granddaughter, Sara Snell-Butler, shared on Facebook that her “Grandma Lee” loves to teach sewing and knitting and used to let Sara practice typing on her old typewriter. Martin also went to work during WWII while her husband was serving in the military.
“I’m forever grateful for the seed she planted in me to become a successful woman in the work force,” Snell-Butler wrote.
Happy 100 to Leora!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
