100-Year-Old Woman Who Served in Army Corp during World War II Survives COVID-19
The coronavirus has taken many lives of older persons in the global community. At the age of 100, one woman who served in the army is a survivor of the deadly illness.
The novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 is bent on diminishing the population of elderly persons in the world. Most are not strong enough to beat the sickness.
However, Cresencia Garcia is not one to go down without a fight. When she contracted the coronavirus recently, it was just another day on a less familiar battlefield for her.
Up close photo of a virus cell | Photo: Unsplash
Army veteran beats COVID-19 at 100
David Begnaud, a CBS correspondent, shared the touching story of Garcia's recent battle with the coronavirus on his Instagram page on Sunday.
According to Begnaud, Garcia "served in the woman's army corps during World War II." For her part, she cared for wounded soldiers during the war.
On the day her story was shared, Garcia turned 100 years old. This means she was at risk of dying before becoming a centenarian because of the pandemic.
Her granddaughter aptly describes her
Yet it wasn't much of a fight for Garcia, who was never intubated while ill in the ICU. In fact, the former army worker has now beaten the virus and is expected to go home to her daughter soon.
The older woman is a force to be reckoned with. Her granddaughter reportedly had this to say about her: "She's larger than life." Happy belated birthday to an exceptional human.
Other elderly surviving the coronavirus
Over in Springfield, Illinois, a 99-year-old woman also recovered from the coronavirus. Betty Draper returned home from the hospital in early April after her battle.
A sea of friends and family littered the streets as they waited to greet the older woman. Her son, Sam, was among them. Draper will turn 100 this September.
As of early April, the oldest person to recover from COVID-19 is Bill Lapschies. Also a veteran, he is 104 years old and going strong. He contracted the coronavirus at a veteran's home for the aged.
Lapschies, who resides in Oregon, was sick for almost a month before coming out alive at the other end of the illness. Unfortunately, others were not as lucky. Two in the home passed away.
Another veteran survives coronavirus
Another Oregon veteran also beat the coronavirus at the age of 95. Bill Kelly served during World War II as well. He spent a week battling COVID-19 from mid-March.
Soon enough, Kelly was able to come out of self-isolation and be with the five family members who he lives with. His granddaughter, Rose Etherington, described Kelly as being "pretty hardcore."
China's oldest COVID-19 survivors
Even in China, elderly persons are beating the odds and recovering from the coronavirus. Two such people were 101-year-old Dai and 98-year-old Hu Hanying.
As of March, they hold the record in China for being the oldest to survive the disease. Dai was reportedly "very energetic" when he was discharged from the hospital. We're happy for him and all the others.