Much-Needed Hope: 102-Year-Old Woman Born During Spanish Flu Pandemic Beats Coronavirus Twice

KEY POINTS

A 102-year-old cancer survivor from New York has beaten COVID-19 twice
She was born at the time of the Spanish flu pandemic
Her story of survival is an inspiration to many

A 102-year-old woman has beaten coronavirus twice, joining the ranks of elder COVID-19 survivors who are giving us some much-needed hope in these trying times.

New Yorker Angelina Friedman was just 101 years old when she first battled COVID-19 in March. At the time, her symptoms were reportedly rather mild, with her fever lasting about 10 days, her daughter Joanne Merola told NBC News.

By April, she already tested negative for the virus.

In October, however, just before her 102nd birthday, Friedman was diagnosed with COVID-19 again. This time her symptoms were more severe.

"She had a cough, she was lethargic, she had a fever again," Merola told NBC News.

Fortunately, Friedman pulled through yet again and she eventually tested negative for the virus.

"My invincible mother tested negative," Merola told PIX11.

At 102 years old, Angelina Friedman, a New York woman who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic and survived cancer, has now beat the coronavirus twice, her daughter says. https://t.co/qtWta5bF8U
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 3, 2020

Iron Will

Friedman was born on Oct. 18, 1918, aboard a passenger ship taking immigrants to New York. At that time, the world was dealing with another pandemic—the 1918 flu pandemic. Commonly known as the Spanish flu, the deadly influenza pandemic was first reported earlier that year and eventually claimed the lives of 50 to 100 million people.

Having survived that pandemic, she had also battled cancer later along with her husband who, unfortunately, succumbed to the disease.

As PIX11 reported, her daughter attributes Friedman's strength to survive to her "iron will to live." NBC also noted Merola's wish that her mother's story would "give people hope."

Coronavirus Survivors

COVID-19 has taken so many lives since it began. In the U.S. alone, the virus has already claimed 276,148 lives as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.

The virus is particularly dangerous to people over 65 years old, but Friedman is now among the many survivors of COVID-19 and her story is indeed a source of hope for others.

Earlier in the year, a 90-year-old stroke survivor from Washington State also made headlines after beating the coronavirus at her age. MedicalXpress also reported an 84-year-old from Philadelphia, a 93-year-old with dementia and several others of advanced age who all got COVID-19 and survived.

With the coronavirus being particularly devastating for older people, these people's stories provide some much-needed hope that the coronavirus can be beaten.