MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — She's lived and survived two pandemics. And for one 105-year-old, being young at heart is a way of life, who cherishes each day even in these turbulent times.
What You Need To Know
- Mabel Bush, 105, tested positive for the coronavirus
- Born in 1915, she survived the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed her mother
- RELATED: A Century Ago, Schools Were Shuttered Over a Pandemic. Here's What's Changed.
For Mabel Bush, every day is a blessing.
"I love bingo," she said.
And she doesn't look to satisfy her sweet tooth.
"I like ol' sour pickles," she says with a grin.
Bush is 105 years young, and spends her days at Courtney Springs Village independent living facility in Merritt Island.
Her sense of humor is contagious among the staff and her family.
Bush was born in 1915 in a small Indiana town. She turned 3 years old when the inflenza pandemic, at the time called the Spanish flu, arrived, wiping out millions.
One of those victims was Bush's mother, whom she doesn't remember much about. As a 3-year-old, she recalls her mother on her death bed.
"My mother had that laying on her, and my dad held me," Bush remembers.
Bush survived that pandemic. And she is surviving this one, despite testing positive for COVID-19.
"Because of her age, we were really worried," says her granddaughter's husband, Russ Macdonald.
Her family says they are grateful she's asymptomatic.
"We were just so happy every day she felt OK, knowing what could happen," he says.
They are thankful for any time together, especially in these times.