• Submitted by: admin
• national
• personalities
• Santiago de Cuba
• Society
• Health and Medicine
• Personalities
• 03 / 19 / 2010

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Nature gave Earth the gift of human life and until now there is no evidence that somebody else in the universe have been given that gift.

Living and living longer is the big prize and challenge that the human beings face. One of the persons that is still fighting for one hundred and twelve years is Rosa América Balón Téllez from Santiago de Cuba.

She lives on # 10 of 14 street between 1ra and 3ra Street from Dessy Neighborhood. She had twelve children, which rise harvesting coffee in Ti Arriba municipality where she lived. Her first daughter is 83 now. I will vote for Raúl and Fidel in the current elections if possible, she said.

Resides her twelve children she has fifty six grand-children, forty one great-grandchildren, fifteen great-great grandchildren and six great-great-great-grandchildren.

Her nutrition was always of sweet potatoes, manioc roots, maize, bananas, beans, fruits and even mapén (Cuban fruit that is alike a big green potato.) She also nourished with cow milk, pork, chicken and some other animals meat. She has never liked to drink alcohol but to delight a good cup of coffee.

According to stories her mother lived longer that one hundred and ten years and her father died when was around the hundred.

From there comes the longevity that Rosa América enjoys.

Although blind from a couple of years ago and need to be talk loudly in order to hear, Rosa is physical strongly enough as to stay seat and walk with the help of someone.

She was always a member of the Federation of Cuban Women, of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution and according to his son Francisco; Rosa served as a messenger for the Column # 9“Antonio Guiteras” of the Rebel Army during the fight against the tyrant government of Fulgencio Batista.

Source: Sierra Maestra