A 97-year-old Nuevo León woman who beat the odds and survived Covid-19 left a Monterrey hospital Thursday to the applause of medical staff celebrating the end of her 21-day stay.

The woman, identified as Leonor, survived despite a hypertension condition and being the oldest patient ever treated at Santa Cecilia Hospital, an IMSS facility, said Cinthia Mariel Mota Guzmán, the hospital’s Covid response leader.

“Leonor’s case was a challenge for the medical stuff,” she said. “Fortunately we have a geriatric treatment setup as well as interdisciplinary care management … Integrated treatment was important.”

Leonor was on antibiotics and supplemental oxygen and received respiratory and mobility therapy, she said.

“Little by little we were able to reduce the amount of oxygen she needed,” general practitioner Liora Elizabeth Barra Farfán said.

She said working with Leonor made her think of her own grandparents. The elderly woman looked fragile on the surface, Barra said, “but in fact, she’s quite strong.”

Leonor left the hospital quietly upbeat, rolled out in a wheelchair by a staff member, and thanked her doctors for their care.

“I am happy and thankful,” she told them. “Thanks to everyone, I’m leaving here very content with all the services you gave me … Everything you do is a great sacrifice for the sick; may God pay you back for it.”

She told the newspaper Milenio that she doesn’t know the secret to longevity, but despite aches from a previous leg surgery, she keeps herself active even at 97.

“I feel good. I still get up in the morning to bathe and tidy up my room. I am also able to cook for myself. I use a walker and a cane, and I get along.”

Source: Milenio (sp)