Angelina Friedman, a 102-year-old from New York City, is truly a survivor, after having beaten a COVID-19 diagnosis. Twice.
Friedman was born on a ship that was transporting immigrants from Italy to New York in 1918, amidst the 1918 flu pandemic. Regrettably, her mother died giving birth and her two sisters helped her survive until they could reunite with their father in Brooklyn.
Throughout her life, Friedman also survived cancer, internal bleeding, and sepsis, and was first diagnosed with coronavirus in March, after being in the hospital for a minor medical procedure.
With a fever on and off for many weeks, Friedman ultimately tested negative on April 20th – only to contract the virus again in October. Her daughter, Joanna Merola, shared, “she had symptoms – fever, a dry cough…they thought she might also have the flu”.
But alas, a few weeks later, in November, her test came back negative, with a second follow-up test confirming so. Merola added, “my invincible mother tested negative”.
Friedman is one of 11 kids and she is the last surviving, and she lost both of her parents, who died battling cancer. But despite all the hardships of life, Friedman beat not one, but two coronavirus diagnosis and continues to be a source of joy and entertainment for everyone around her.
“She’s not the oldest to survive COVID, but she may be the oldest to survive it twice”
