She has experienced the horrible effects of two world wars, a civil war, and two pandemics on a worldwide scale.
Following the passing of French nun Sister André earlier this month at the age of 118, Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States, has now been declared the oldest person in the world by Guinness World Records (GWR).
According to Guinness World Records, Maria Branyas Morera was born in San Francisco in 1907 and migrated to Spain in 1915, just before the Spanish Flu outbreak and throughout World War I.
Morera was born nearly 116 years ago in San Francisco, united states but she has spent the last 22 years at a nursing facility in Catalonia, Spain.
Eight years after her birth, Morera and her family relocated to Spain. Near the course of their transatlantic journey, her father developed pulmonary tuberculosis and passed away, according to Guinness. Morera fell while playing with her brothers during the trip, which left her with lifelong hearing loss in one ear.
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Before the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the family moved to Barcelona in 1915. According to the publication, Morera also experienced the Spanish Civil War in 1936, which she claimed left her with “extremely unpleasant recollections.”
According to Guinness, Morera was married to the Spanish physician Joan Moret for 40 years. The couple has three children, 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren together.
According to a statement released by her residence, “She is in good health & continues to be surprised & grateful for the attention that, this anniversary has generated.”
