Posted by: @ale76

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Today Ms. Branyas Morera ties the final age of Ms. Vela Rubio (116 years and 47 days) and she becomes the Oldest Spanish SC ever (living or dead in Spain). Congratulations!

@siam Branyas Morera is from California (USA), not Spain. She’s the oldest person ever to have lived in the area, but she’s not from it.

@930310 Of course she is spanish. She is also american by birth, but other than that spanish. She was born in USA to spanish parents who went there to work (his father as as a journalist in a famous american spanish-speaking newspaper). Before USA, they went to Mexico, where the older sister of María was born. And few years later they returned to Spain, where María has lived most of her life (more than 100 years living in Spain).

She can't be considered as an american emigrant who lives in Spain, but a spanish-american woman who was born in USA. An example of an emigrant is Salustiano Sánchez. He was born in Spain to spanish parents, and he went to USA to work, where he married and lived the rest of his life (spanish inmigrant living in USA). And in the case of Dina Manfredini, we have an american woman whose parents were italian, but she was not from Italy as she never lived there.

@930310 You are swedish, I think (sorry if not). Imagine your case is similar than Maria's: your parents went to USA and you were born there, but few years later they returned to Sweden and you live the rest of your life there. You would be only american? No. You would be american because you were born there as a coincidence, but other than that you are swedish.

@siam She is still not "from" Spain, she has lived in Spain for most of her life, but it does not change the fact that she was born elsewhere. 

@930310 She is a spanish woman born in USA, from USA as she was born there and from Spain due to her family, culture, education, language (she even doesn't know to speak in english) and current residence.

@siam I agree with you, because she was just born in the USA. She lived most of her life in Spain and her culture is Spanish and her ancestors and closest relatives are spanish.

Her life story has many similarities with that of the previous doyenne of Portugal Isabel Gomes Sarmento (1910-2023). Isabel's parents were Portuguese and emigrated to Brazil a few years before Isabel was born. She was born in Brazil and then returned to Portugal at the age of 9, where she lived for the rest of her life and her culture was Portuguese. She was simply born in Brazil and lived her childhood there. The difference is that in Brazil they also speak Portuguese, but the culture is quite different from Portugal and the language is a little bit different.

Yes, in this case she is undoubtedly Spanish. The fact she was born in the US is a historical fact, but of no relevance to the nationality ascribed to her.

The Duke of Wellington was not Irish, and John McEnroe not a German 😊 

930310 is right. Mrs. Branyas Morera is not born in Spain. Her ethnicity is Spanish. For most people this is the most important fact. Where you were born doesn´t matter. A cat who was accidentally born in a cowshed isn´t a cow. She is a cat.

I am absolutely sure Mrs. Branyas Morera (and her family) doesn´t want to appear in gerontological lists etc. as a person "belonging" to Spain and the USA.

@gabriel_pt Yes, the case of Isabel is very similar. She was a portuguese woman born in Brazil.

@stoa-oid María has never considered herself as american, I'm sure about that. In fact, at Twitter her nickname is "superàvia catalana", which literally means "catalan supergrandma" (catalan from Catalonia, Spain). Also, I have to say that it's obvious that she doesn't consider herself as american as the only connection to USA is that she was born there by coincidence (remember that her older sister was born in Mexico).

There are many supercentenarians who fall into this category.

Simple examples include Augusta Holtz who ended up living in a very different country from which she was born. A good number of the earlier USA (especially 113+} supercentenarians were from the UK or other places.

For now Mrs Morera is the oldest “Spanish” supercentenarian of all time, but she will never be the oldest “Spanish born” supercentenarian.

The place where the person spends most of their life, and usually dies, tends to create the environment in which their long life occurred. Often (but not always) the country of their birth tends to have created the key aspects of the “genes” or “gene pool” which obviously also got them there.

An addendum: Yesterday I overlooked a very important fact. Sorry. To be correct: Mrs. Branyas Morera is a Spanish citizen but her ethnicity is of course Catalan. Sorry once more because my heart is beating a long time for the Catalans...

There are uncountable ethnicities, but only o n e family of human beings and their members are all e q u a l in every way and manner. This is my point of view.

Today she reached the final age of Jiroemon Kimura and becomes the 22nd longest lifespan ever. There's no males older than Maria.

And today is a 100 days anniversary since she becomes the WOP.

Today Ms. Branyas Morera has reached the age of 116 years and 55 days. She has now surpassed Mr. Kimura and she has lived longer than any validated man ever has.

new picture:

https://twitter.com/ManelEsteller/status/1658832199481696265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1658832199481696265%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

Even if she was born on 1 April 1907, it is sure that María has now surpassed Ana Vela Rubio as the oldest Spanish person ever. 

Congratulations!

Yesterday's video: https://twitter.com/MariaBranyas112/status/1661660956575907843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1661660956575907843%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

New article and picture: https://www.lrp.cat/reportatges/article/2299490-la-superavia-catalana.html

The Twitter account of María Branyas has shared many photos of María in different countries (UK, Egypt, Russia, Austria, Belgium...). All those photos were taken in 1980s, when she was in her seventies:

https://twitter.com/MariaBranyas112/status/1677971893733715969

Photos of August 16, 2023: https://twitter.com/MariaBranyas112/status/1691868490301399229

English Translation:

Dogs are warm and affectionate beings who show their affection wholeheartedly, without judgment, regardless of age, physique, mental health or personality. Stroking the Fairy's hairy body with these old, tired, time-worn hands of mine comforts me.

It gives me joy, peace and well-being. Unfortunately, its presence, its vibrations, its emotional connection, ends. Today I told him: "Goodbye. See you when fate wants to bring us together. In the meantime, be happy and make those around you happy."

New articles about her:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12663389/Scientists-studying-116-year-old-San-Francisco-born-grandma-oldest-woman-world-learn-secrets-develop-cures-diseases.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/24502235/oldest-woman-world-maria-branyas-key-immortality-spain/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebarweb

And her daughter turns 90: https://twitter.com/MariaBranyas112/status/1717083073785872826

She’s incredible,’ said Dr Manel Esteller, director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC-CERCA) and a professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona. 

Dr Esteller has taken DNA samples, including saliva, urine and blood, from Ms Branyas, whom he visited at her care home in Olot, Gerona, in northern Spain. 

He told Spanish newspaper ABC: 'She has a completely lucid head. She remembers with impressive clarity episodes of her when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people. The only thing she has are mobility and hearing problems.'

Dr Esteller, a world leader in genetics, wants to discover how far Ms Branyas' genes go in explaining her longevity, and how much is to do with her lifestyle. 

New photos 

View this post on Instagram

Photo from 22 November

New photos:

https://twitter.com/MariaBranyas112/status/1731722877899043231

Following the sad passing of Mrs. Tatsumi 😢, Maria has become the last remaining person born in 1907 

And barring a spectacular future validation, Mrs Morera will also be known as the oldest person to have been born in 1907.

@chrisr What do you mean by that?