At 100, she could still walk up to 10th floor

At 100, she could still walk up to 10th floor

SINGAPORE - Madam Fadilah Noor Abbe, who died last year at the age of 115, was probably the oldest Singaporean who had ever lived.

Her longevity surpassed that of Ms Teresa Hsu, another local super centenarian. The term is used to describe people who survive to 110 and beyond.

Ms Hsu lived to 113 and died two years ago. She was nicknamed Singapore's Mother Teresa and was distributing food and money to the poor up to her last days.

Madam Fadilah's grand- daughter, Madam Mariammah Shafii, 50, told The Sunday Times: "My grandmother was still very independent, able to look after herself and do simple chores such as ironing and folding clothes before she had a fall last year. After that, her health deteriorated and her lungs collapsed."

Madam Fadilah, whose identity card stated that she was born in 1897, outlived her husband and three children.

She was in excellent health and was able to climb the stairs to her 10th-storey flat even after her 100th birthday. Her eyesight was restored after a cataract operation when she was 113.

The Department of Statistics does not have any data on the number of super centenarians here, the age of the oldest living Singaporean or the age of the oldest person who had lived here.

According to the Guinness World Records, the world's oldest man, Mr Jiroemon Kimura, died earlier this month. The Japanese was 116.

The record for the world's oldest person belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to an incredible 122 years. She died in 1997.


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