According to Guinness World Records, Sister André, a Frenchwoman born as Lucile Randon on February 11, 1904, is now the oldest person living at 118 years and 73 days.
As a result of the tragic news that Kane Tanaka (of Japan) had gone away, she has taken the title of oldest person alive (female) and oldest person alive overall.
The second-oldest European and second-oldest French individual ever documented is Lucile, who adopted the name Sister André in 1944.
One day before reaching 117 years old, on February 10, 2021, Sister André poses at her retirement residence.
In her earlier years, Sister André worked as a teacher, governess, and childcare provider for children during World War II. She has led a busy life.
Prior to becoming a Catholic nun, she worked for 28 years with elderly and orphan patients in a hospital in Vichy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.
Sister André is the oldest nun still alive, having devoted the most of her life to religious service.
She got a letter from Pope Francis in 2019 and was designated an honorary citizen of the French city of Toulon, which is located in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur area.
andre’s sister staring up
The most recent astounding record for the oldest COVID-19 survivor went to Sister André.
She tested positive for coronavirus on January 16, 2021, having already survived the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, she was immediately quarantined in her retirement home to protect the virus from spreading.
In spite of the odds, she recovered from the virus in three weeks, in time for her 117th birthday, with no symptoms or side effects other than a little fatigue.
For the past 12 years, Sister André has resided in her retirement community.
She needs a wheelchair and is now 118 years old; nonetheless, she still enjoys keeping her intellect sharp.
They place me at my desk where I keep occupied with minor tasks after waking me up at 7 a.m. and giving me food.
She occasionally indulges in sweets, her “guilty pleasure” being chocolate, and she drinks wine every day.
“Her glass of wine keeps her going, which is maybe the key to her longevity. I have no idea, and I don’t advocate for daily wine use!” remarked a member of staff from Sister André’s nursing facility.
Coincidentally, Jeanne Louise Calment, the oldest person ever, was French and believed that chocolate and port were the keys to a long life.
Jeanne, whose birthday was February 21, 1875, lived for 122 years and 164 days.
How can the elderly be accepted?
In the investigation of aging, Guinness World Records collaborates with chief gerontology expert Robert D. Young (USA). Since 2015, Young has served as the Gerontology Research Group’s Director of the Supercentenarian Research Database Division.
