By John Ikani
The world’s oldest person – French nun Lucile Randon, better known as Sister André, has passed away in her sleep at the age of 118.
Born in 1904 in southern France, Sister André lived through two world wars and dedicated much of her life to Catholicism.
Although Sister André was born into a Protestant family, she later converted to Catholicism, before joining an order of nuns known as the Daughters of Charity about 15 years after her decision to join the Catholic Church.
She was assigned to a hospital in Vichy, where she spent most of her working life, about 31 years.
Despite being blind and reliant on a wheelchair, she continued to care for other elderly people, some of whom were much younger than herself.
In an interview last April with the AFP news agency, Sister André said: “People say that work kills, for me work kept me alive, I kept working until I was 108.”
In one of her last interviews, she said: “People should help each other and love each other instead of hating. If we shared all that, things would be a lot better.” Sister André will be remembered for her remarkable longevity and her dedication to helping others.
Sister André entered the Guinness Book of Records last April as the world’s oldest person, following the death of Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who lived until she was 119 years old.
She also made history in 2021 by becoming the oldest person to recover from COVID-19.
