Brussels’ oldest person celebrated her 108th birthday at the Château du Karreveld, in Molenbeek Saint-Jean.
Antoinette Melis lived in Anderlecht her whole life, before moving to the Paloke retirement home in Molenbeek Saint-Jean in 2007. Her long-life is apparently genetic, as her mother lived to the honourable age of 99 and her sister lived to 104.
“108 is really an exceptional age: there are now only four people in Belgium who were born before Antoinette Melis”, says Anthony Croes-Lacrois, a member of the Gerontology Research Group. Mr Croes-Lacrois, who particularly interested in researching centenarians, says more than 100 people in Belgium have already lived to more than 108, and there are currently more than 2,000 centenarians in the country.
To celebrate her birthday, Antoinette Melis will meet the commune’s mayor and the Civil State councillor at the Château. Surrounded by her family and friends, she received a letter from the Royal Palace and the RDWM football club jersey.
(Source: Belga)
