117-Year-Old Mason Never Visited a Doctor in Her Life... What Is Her Story?

At 117, Camille Mara does not occupy herself much with proving that she may be the world’s oldest living woman; instead, she focuses on enjoying the days she has left. Born in 1909, Mara witnessed World War II and communist rule in Albania, and has seen five generations of her family grow up around her. Sitting in front of her home in a village in Vërmic, southern Albania, she told the Agence France-Presse, smiling, “Life is beautiful, like Mount Tomorr in full bloom.” According to several official documents, Mara was born on August 19, 1909, making her two days older than the British woman Ethel Catram, whom Guinness World Records recognizes as the oldest living woman. Her family holds a birth certificate issued in 1945, a passport from 1978, and a recent identity card, all bearing the same date of birth. Mara’s husband died 36 years ago, but she still smiles when speaking of the decades she spent with him in a traditional marriage arranged by the family, which was nonetheless full of love. However, authorities doubted her age and suspended her pension when she turned 100, before her 80-year-old son, Hussein, had to provide witness testimonies to prove she was still alive. Earlier this month, the Albanian government granted her a special pension in recognition of her longevity. Her secret to a long life may lie in her simple lifestyle: she wakes early to clean her yard, water the flowers, and feed the chickens, then enjoys her favorite coffee. She still walks in her orchard with her son, sometimes stopping to pick pomegranates. She keeps basil leaves in her pockets “to enjoy their scent,” while her son insists she has never visited a doctor or taken any medication. Mara is moved when she remembers family members and friends who have passed away, but her smile returns when she sees her children, grandchildren, and relatives entering and leaving her home. She says, “I have seen them court, marry, build their homes and their lives. When I see people coming and going from the house, I feel immense happiness.” Mara keeps an old photograph dating back about a century, showing a young woman wearing a white head covering similar to what she wears today. Gazing at it, she remarks, “I was eighteen!”