She lived to 108 and shared her secret to a long life - and it's not what you'd expect
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A woman who lived to the age of 108 attributed her incredible longevity to raising dogs instead of children throughout her life.
Most of us hope to live long, happy, and healthy lives, though few reach the age of 100 or beyond. Ada Daniel, who resided at the Codnor Park care home in Derbyshire, England, was one of those centenarians, and she opened up about what she did to reach such a remarkable age.
She revealed to the BBC that she had "plenty of greyhounds" when she was younger, joking that choosing dogs over having children was the secret to her long life.
Ada's second secret to living beyond 100 was simply to "keep going," and she was also very fond of board games, with dominoes being her favorite pastime.
A Call to the Community
The only downside to living to 108 without children or grandchildren of her own was that Ada did not have "much family" left. Therefore, Kelly Goucher, the activities coordinator at Ashmere (which manages the care home), posted an appeal on a local Facebook page to ensure she would receive as many greeting cards as possible from well-wishers.
The care home, where she had lived since 2015, "wanted to get her as many [birthday] cards as possible," with Kelly adding that Ada "quite liked the fact that people knew about her because of her age."
108-year-old Ada Daniel says the secret to her long life was having dogs, instead of children. pic.twitter.com/jIWOgoAFhU
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 5, 2023
She aimed to get Ada "108 cards for 108 years" sent from local residents, but woke up the next morning to find she had already received "135 messages from people wanting to send cards."
The numbers continued to grow as more and more people heard about Ada's upcoming birthday, and she ended up celebrating the incredible milestone with over 300 cards. The care home also received "many donations" thanks to the birthday appeal, and some people even sent "signs with her picture and balloons with her name" to ensure Ada's special day was nothing short of perfect.
A Royal Greeting
Ada also received a card from King Charles III, which read: "My wife and I are so pleased to know that you are celebrating your one hundred and eighth birthday. This brings our warmest greetings and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion."
This is Ada Daniel. This month, she turned 108 years old.
Because Ada never had any children or grandchildren, her care home put out a call online asking for people to send her birthday cards.
They received nearly 300 cards.pic.twitter.com/7qnjP7qp80
— Goodable (@Goodable) June 12, 2023
In the UK, anyone who reaches the age of 100 receives a card on their birthday from the reigning monarch and will receive an additional card for every year they are alive beyond their 100th birthday.
Ada revealed that the fuss surrounding her 108th birthday and all the cards and gifts she received made her very "happy." She was asked: "To keep fighting for 108 years, you have to smile, don't you?" to which she replied: "Yes. Certainly do!"
A Remarkable Legacy
According to the website *Oldest in Britain*, there are currently 123 people over the age of 107 in the UK, with the oldest being Ethel May Caterham, who turned 114 in August.
Unfortunately, Ada’s 108th birthday was her last; when her care home was contacted for a follow-up on the story in November 2023, it was revealed that she had passed away, according to *The Express*. What a wonderful way to celebrate her final birthday at the end of such an amazing life.
