Lauren Pineda
Stories of COVID-19 survivors of all ages are surfacing everywhere to celebrate and encourage our world as it comes together to defeat the coronavirus. And personally, I’ve written quite an amount of them. But this video of this 96-year-old four-time cancer survivor is one of the best examples of how one should celebrate overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ralph Abercia, from Houston, Texas, was caught on video wiggling around more than I’ve seen any other elderly person can. The 96-year-old veteran dances simply because he can, and I’m sure I would too if I had overcome what he has in his lifetime. Ralph has not just simply beaten COVID-19. He has also lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, beat cancer a whopping four times, and now overcome a pandemic that has caused the entire world to go virtual.
96-year-old Ralph Abercia lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II and recently fought off COVID-19.https://t.co/papPbAd0SC
— WOWK 13 News (@WOWK13News) May 9, 2020
But that’s not all he’s celebrating. Ralph’s wife Adelene Abercia also has some wins herself. The 88-year-old two-time cancer survivor has also kicked COVID-19’s ass. This tough Houston couple was diagnosed with the virus in mid-March when Adelene had trouble breathing and Ralph had a high fever. They spent a few weeks at Houston Methodist Hospital and became virus-free by the end of April.
Adelene spoke about how they were feeling, saying, “We thought this is going to be the end for both of us, and we prayed and prayed, and God answered us. We realize that there is love out there in the world still.”
The Houston couple has been happily married for 68 years. After everything they have been through, cases of COVID-19 honestly didn’t even stand a chance against them. And they sure deserve to be dancing after being so tough for so long.
“That’s one thing that’s keeping me going: playing and dancing and moving your body and really enjoying life,” says the 96-year-old World War II veteran. Damn right, Ralph. Damn right.
