Growing old never sounds like it’s the most amazing thing out there. Your body stops doing what you want it to do, your mind starts to fail you,… It’s bad news all around. And then we’re not even talking about the fact that at a certain age you’ll probably end up pretty much alone because everyone you once knew and loved didn’t make it that far.
South African Johanna Mazibuko knew that all too well. When she was already a whopping 128 years old, she asked herself what the point of being alive was if all she could still do was sit around and do nothing. A few months later, she sadly passed away.
In her long life, she’d seen quite a bit of stuff. She grew up on a maize farm and was uneducated. Even in her later life, Johanna never learned how to read or write. She had 11 siblings, and only three of her younger ones are still alive to this day. She grew up on fresh milk and whatever was grown near her house, and eating loads of modern food made her miss that simple life.
When she got a bit older, she ran into a cow farmer and married him. The man supplied for her every need, and together they had 7 children. Sadly, Johanna had to bury five of them herself. The other two are still alive. If you count her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she easily jumps over 50.
Even though Johanna lived through so many important historical events, she had to die at some point. She was treated for a stroke shortly before her death, and after being in the hospital for 2 weeks, she was discharged. Eventually, after going back home, she passed away after only half a week. I guess her body and mind were done with this world.
There’s no telling the kind of things Johanna actively lived through in her 128 years on this planet. Many things we can only hope to read about in a history book were a part of her life growing up or even as a mature woman. Remember, this woman lived through both World Wars as an adult!
