BIOGRAPHY

Cea Bermejo was born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Community of Madrid, Spain, on 1 April 1912. From a very young age, due to economic necessity, her parents instructed her to work to support the family. She began working as a maid. Her father lost his sight at a young age and, due to his blindness, sold lottery tickets for the Spanish Organization for the Blind. Her mother worked as a maid and cleaner.

Her husband was a bricklayer, and since his salary wasn’t enough to support the family, she always worked. She had three children; one of them died a few months after birth, and another passed away from a heart attack in 2020. When her economic situation improved, she was already over 60 years old and seized the opportunity to enjoy what she hadn’t been able to before, traveling all over the country when possible and leading an active social life. Her husband died at the age of 60. As of April 2024, her last surviving son was 77, while her only granddaughter was 50 years old.

At the age of 105, she fell and underwent hip surgery. Following the replacement, she did not undergo rehabilitation and lost a significant amount of mobility. Shortly before her 112th birthday, she experienced a urinary tract infection, which left her somewhat weakened at the time of her birthday.

On her 112th birthday, she was visited by Dr. Manuel de la Peña, the President of the European Institute of Health and Social Welfare. He commented that her longevity had been greatly influenced by her healthy habits and lifestyle, specifically her epigenetics. Her habits included eating healthy foods based on vegetables, enjoying chocolate with churros, always loving to dance and walk, and being very slim. Despite being hypertensive at the time, her blood pressure was well controlled at 130/70. Her heart rate was 79 beats per minute at rest, but she had atrial fibrillation. She was taking anticoagulants to protect herself against stroke. She never smoked or drank alcohol, and she ate a traditional Mediterranean diet.

RECOGNITION

On 30 March 2022, shortly before her 110th birthday, she became the oldest (known) living person in Community of Madrid, following the passing of María Ángeles Uhler Terrés.

Her age was verified by Fabrizio Villatoro, and validated by LongeviQuest on 15 June 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Teodora, la madrileña más longeva nos cuenta cómo ha llegado a los 112 años” – OkDiario, 4 May 2024

GALLERY

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