Maria Branias Morera, recognized as the world’s oldest living person, has celebrated her 117th birthday.
Born on March 4, 1907, in San Francisco, USA, Maria moved back to Spain with her family at the age of eight, settling in Catalonia.
Since then, she has resided in the same region, spending the last 23 years in a nursing home.
Eva Carreira Boix, the director of Maria’s nursing home, expressed gratitude for the overwhelming interest in Maria’s health and the many congratulations she received.
Maria is delighted to celebrate this special day with her family and colleagues, extending her Monday greetings to all.
Despite some hearing and mobility difficulties, Maria remains free from any significant physical or mental health issues.
In fact, she is in such good condition that she has agreed to undergo scientific testing by researchers hoping to uncover the secrets of longevity.
Fa uns dies, vaig rebre la visita del Dr. Manel Esteller @ManelEsteller, acompanyant al Sr. Robert Young, Director del GRG, i la investigadora Natalie Coles, de Califòrnia. Investiguen en el camp de la gerontologia, la longevitat i l’envelliment humà. 👇 pic.twitter.com/Y6rpGplsqK
— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) May 28, 2023
Scientist Manel Esteller, who has extensively conversed with Maria, revealed to the Spanish outlet ABC: “Her mind is entirely clear. When she was just four years old, she remembers events with impressive clarity, and she has no cardiovascular disease, which is common in elderly individuals.”
“It is clear that there is a genetic component because many members of her family have lived beyond 90 years.”
Samples of Maria’s saliva, blood, and urine have been collected, and comparisons will be made with those of her 80-year-old daughter. Researchers hope that studying Maria’s genes will aid in developing drugs that can combat age-related diseases.
Despite her status as the world’s oldest living person in the digital age, Maria remains active on social media with the help of her daughter, formerly known as Twitter. Her bio reads: “I’m old, very old, but not foolish.”
In addition to “luck and good genetics,” Maria attributes her long life to “organization, peace, good relationships with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, lack of worry, lack of regrets, plenty of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.”
Due to her reduced hearing ability, Maria’s family uses a voice-to-text device to communicate with her.
After surviving the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Maria has experienced more than a century of life, holding on even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just weeks after turning 113 in 2020, she contracted the virus but fully recovered within days, becoming the oldest confirmed COVID-19 survivor in the world. The title was previously held by Lucile Randon, who was three years older than Maria.
In a recent post on social media, Maria acknowledged that she is “approaching and nearing death,” but she maintains a positive outlook on life, believing that there is always something new to learn every day, even in her advanced age.
“La Maria no es pot deixar escapar aquest home”. Doncs, no. Quan va acabar la carrera de Medicina, ens vam casar i vam ser molt feliços. pic.twitter.com/wqmtOm3MQ2
— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) June 4, 2023
She now ranks 12th in verified human longevity and, if she reaches her 118th birthday, she will rise to 5th place. The title of the oldest verified person ever belonged to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old.
