Italy witnessed a miracle as two people from each end of the age spectrum have been declared virus free in Northern Italy. A six-month-old baby named Leonardo and Italica Grondona, a 102-year-old woman have both survived the coronavirus after they both faced a long journey to recovery.
Baby and old woman survives coronavirus
Leonardo has returned home in Corbetta, Northern Italian region of Lombardy, after being in the hospital for 50 days. Local mayor Marco Ballarini called the infant a "wonderful face of hope" and he thanked the adorable baby for helping to lift the spirits in the region. He said that they have a reason to smile and be happy, and to feel like they are a part of a community.
Mayor Ballarini said, "Thanks a lot Leo, and thanks to your parents who never gave up. They brought summer to the hearts of all Corbetta citizens! Strength Corbetta!"
The mother of baby Leonardo said that she was worried a lot, especially at night, because her baby was in quarantine and she could not come near him. She said that she knew that her baby was ill when he had a fever and his heart rate was abnormally fast. Her husband's work colleague had been diagnosed with the virus and that was when she knew there was something wrong. She also said that the healthcare professionals treated baby Leonardo very well.
The 102-year-old survivor
At the other end of the spectrum, a 102-year-old Italian woman in Genoa, also in Northern Italy, has miraculously recovered after being diagnosed with coronavirus and after spending 20 days in the hospital.
On March, 2020, Italica Grondona came down with symptoms of the virus and was immediately admitted to the hospital with mild heart failure. After 20 days she was discharged with the doctors saying that the "the virus surrendered in front of her."
Doctor Vera Sicbaldi, who treated the woman in the San Martino hospital in Genoa, said to CNN that they nicknamed the 102-year-old woman as "Highlander the immortal." She added that Grondona now represents hope for all elderly people who are facing this pandemic.
According to the National Health Institute of Italy, the average age of someone to die of the virus is 78, making Grondona's case exceptional. The doctors who treated her were so impressed with the outcome that they studied it deeper. Dr. Sicbaldi said that the doctors did very little to cure the 102-year-old woman and that Grondona only had some mild coronavirus symptoms, so they tested her and she turned out positive. The patient recovered on her own.
The doctors said that the 102-year-old patient also survived the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic after they undertook additional tests on her. Dr. Sicbaldi added that they got serological samples, and that was when they knew that she was their first patient who both survived the Spanish Flu and the Coronavirus.
Grondona would have been around baby Leonardo's age when the Spanish Flu took over Europe and killed millions of people. Grondona was discharged from the hospital on March 26, and she is now resting in a care home. Her son passed away in America decades ago, so her nephew, Renato Villa Grondona, is the one who is looking out for her.
When asked about her secret to surviving the virus, Renato said that all he knows is that Grondona is a free and independent woman who loves music, dancing and life.
According to the latest Coronavirus figures, Italy now has 105,792 confirmed cases, 12,428 deaths and 15,729 recoveries.
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