birthday
“Almost a miracle”: Great-grandma Mina survives Corona and turns 109
Reason to celebrate: Mina Hehn turned 109 on Sunday. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Great-grandmother Mina Hehn fell seriously ill with Covid-19 over Christmas. Now she has recovered – and can celebrate a special day.
Mina Hehn survived a severe Covid 19 illness over Christmas and celebrated her 109th birthday in Stuttgart on Sunday.
Now she’s happier than ever. “Yes, I’m a little fitter than on my last birthday,” says the old lady of the German Press Agency. This is also due to the fact that the “separation” is finally over. A year ago, her family could barely visit her in the care home during the lockdown. “One likes variety.” While the relatives were only allowed to serenade her from the garden on her 108th birthday, this time she went to the café with her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A heart-shaped cake was waiting there.
Greatest wish to be home again
Going to the café wasn’t her soft spot before, she’s a very thrifty Swabian. “I preferred to stay at home, because you can drink as much coffee as you need.” In general, her biggest wish for her birthday would be to be back home. She lived alone in her apartment until she was 105. Only her daughter came by regularly to bring her food.
The fact that Hehn Corona survived Christmas is “almost a miracle,” says her daughter. Her mother, who had been vaccinated twice, was in quarantine for ten days. She had a high fever and aching limbs, and she no longer wanted to eat. Because the doctor was worried that the 108-year-old wouldn’t survive, her grandson was allowed to help eat every evening – but only in a protective suit. But the nurses didn’t want to give up on Mina. It should not be that her oldest resident now dies of Covid, was the slogan. And so Mina Hehn lives on. “I don’t want to die,” she says. “But it’s a must.”