MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — As the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed the 1918 Spanish flu in number of deaths, one Merritt Island centenarian who lived through and survived both sees each day as a blessing.
What You Need To Know
- Merritt Island woman recently celebrated her 106th birthday
- She lived through the Spanish flu pandemic and recovered from COVID
- Mabel Bush says she sees each day as a blessing
- Bush got a COVID vaccination and says she'll get a booster once it is available
"I don't have pain, I feel great," Mabel Bush says.
She just marked another milestone birthday, turning 106 years old.
"I don't have to do nothing," Bush said with a smile from her home at the Courtenay Springs Health and Rehab Center, where she is staying while the COVID pandemic rages. "The bed (is) made, the room (is) clean. I just sit there."
But Bush saw tragedy early in life.
At just 3 years old, she lost her mother to the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed about 675,000 in the United States.
Bush survived, and now — a century later — is still alive despite last year contracting COVID-19, which has claimed nearly 677,000 lives.
"It's amazing, and the health she has to go along with it," said Russell Macdonald, Bush's grandson-in-law who visited with her Tuesday. "She's in pretty good shape."
Her family is grateful for Bush's long life in these turbulent times and for being able to visit her to keep up her spirit — a spirit that's strong and happy.
"I'm satisfied, that's the main thing," Bush said.
Her family said she's vaccinated, and if the booster is approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she will get that shot, too.