PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The coronavirus has claimed the life of a Montgomery County woman who recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
Catherine Chapman earned her lifelong reputation as a fighter when she got sick and nearly died at the age of 14.
"I missed two years of school from a strep infection," she recounted to KYW Newsradio last July, during her 100th birthday celebration outside St. Joseph's Manor in Huntingdon Valley.
It was a rare opportunity for the Olney native to emerge from lockdown and and get some fresh air, sunshine and hugs from her family. The Navy veteran faced a multitude of challenges over her long life.
But daughter Meagan Hill said she was not able to overcome the COVID-19 infection that swept through her facility last month.
"When all the residents started to pop on her floor, it was approximately three weeks after Thanksgiving," said Hill. "So this was the surge that Dr. Fauci was afraid would happen. And it happened to my mother."
Her mother was diagnosed on December 27.
"Her toes and feet were turning black and purple. That meant gangrene, amputation. We wanted her to go in peace, not pieces," Hill said.
The family's prayers were ultimately answered, when Chapman died peacefully last Sunday.
