A 102 year-old cancer survivor who lived through the last great pandemic in 1918 was branded ‘invincible’ after she successfully overcome coronavirus twice. Angelina Friedman, from Westchester in New York, was hailed by her daughter Joanne Merola after two bouts with a disease known to be highly dangerous to older sufferers. The centenarian was first diagnosed with Covid in April. She cleared the virus despite previously suffering from cancer, internal bleeding and sepsis.
All conditions put Angelina at higher risk of serious side effects from coronavirus, or death. Angelina’s first bout of Covid came after a trip to the hospital for a minor procedure. The virus left her with a fever for several weeks, but she ultimately overcame the illness and tested negative in late April, when scientists believed it was likely people could only get infected with Covid once.
Angelina was even pictured holding up an inspirational sign before her latest birthday, and second bout of the virus, which said ‘I am 101 years-old and I beat Covid-19.’ But Joanne was horrified to receive a call in October to say that Angelina had tested positive again. She told WPIX: ‘She had symptoms – fever, a dry cough. They thought she might also have the flu.’ Angelina and the other residents of her care home were put in isolation.
The elderly woman tested negative twice in November, meaning her body had once again cleared the virus. Explaining what may have helped her mother survive Covid twice with minimal effects, Joanne said: ‘She’s a mover and a shaker…She’s not the oldest to survive Covid, but she may be the oldest to survive it twice.’
The devoted daughter said that Angelina has lost most of her hearing and eyesight, but still loves life. She enjoys knitting, held a huge party for her 101st birthday, and was crowned prom queen at a special ceremony. Angelina’s incredible life saw her arrive in New York City on a migrant ship from her native Italy in 1918. She made it to America in the midst of the Spanish Influenza pandemic that killed 50 million, but is not believed to have contracted the disease herself. The centenarian’s mother died at birth, with Angelina cared for by her two older sisters. The family were eventually reunited in New York, and settled down in Brooklyn. Angelina was diagnosed with cancer at the same time as her late husband, who later died of the disease. She is the last surviving sibling from a family of 11.
Metro UK
