DeClerck told
The Times that she was scared at first, upon hearing of her diagnosis. Although she showed few symptoms of the illness, she didn t like being isolated. She also missed her interaction with her caregivers at the Mystic Meadows Rehabilitation and Nursing facility in Little Egg Harbor, where she s the oldest resident and was active until she injured herself in a fall about four years ago.
But the devout Catholic declared, God will protect me, and within two weeks DeClerck had recovered and was back in her room at the home, Neiman said.
Naturally, when DeClerck s family two surviving sons, five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren found out she had contracted the coronavirus, they prepared themselves for the worst. It was a stark contrast to life in January 2020, when the family congregated at Mystic Meadows to celebrate DeClerck s 104th birthday, not long before the start of the pandemic.