A 116-year-old nun has revealed her secret to a long life – praying every day after she defied doctors who told her as a child she wouldn’t survive to adulthood.
Inah Canabarro Lucas is considered the second oldest person in the world, just a month younger than Tomiko Itooka, who currently holds the world record for the oldest living person.
She turned 116 years old on June 8, and lives in the house of the Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil, in Porto Alegre, where she maintains the same routine each day.
She has set times for waking up, going to bed, and praying, which she says is why she lived to be this old.
Born in 1908 among six siblings, Inah was considered so weak and thin as a little girl that many believed she would not survive. Doctors even suggested that she was unlikely to reach adulthood.
However, she defied all expectations and achieved impressive longevity.
Inah has always had an active life. Around 1928, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, and later became a nun at the age of 18.
She returned to Brazil in 1930, where she taught Portuguese and mathematics.
Throughout her life, Inah has witnessed two world wars and she survived the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2022, she herself contracted the virus while hospitalised, but recovered within a month.
Despite her advanced age, the nun is as healthy and alive as ever, although she needs a walker to help her move around.
Kleber Vieira Canabarro Lucas, the nun’s nephew, believes that her routine with regular prayer the secret to Inah’s long life, adding: ‘I think it’s [thanks to] her determination in life and dedication to others. And to spirituality.’
Inah herself especially attributes her longevity to her faith: ‘My secret, my big secret, is to pray. I pray the rosary every day for everyone in the whole world.’
She also maintains a sense of humour, and when asked what her age is, she jokingly replied: ‘A few years. 116.’
According to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), Sister Inah is also considered the oldest person in Brazil and Latin America.
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