Community Comes Together To Celebrate Woman’s 107th Birthday

Jessie Madura of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is celebrating a very special milestone that few get to reach: her 107th birthday!

Family, friends and students from Notre Dame of Bethlehem Elementary School banded together to surprise her with a birthday celebration filled with balloons, cake, and flowers. The kids sung for her after helping her blow out the candles on her cake.

Madura was so surprised and felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many great people on such a special occasion.

“It was a very important day, a day that I won’t forget, of course,” Madura told wfmz.

When asked what her secret was to living such a long life, she said you have to work and keep your body busy.

Working hard and keeping busy is something Madura knows all about.

She spent 48 years waitressing at restaurants all over Pennsylvania, and worked extremely hard. She was so exhausted at times that she didn’t think she’d make it.

But not only did she make it, she thrived.

Madura said with her old age comes moments where she forgets what she was going to say sometimes, but she never stops having fun and enjoying life.

“Sometimes you can still stand up and dance,” Madura told wfmz.

It seems we can all take Madura’s advice and remember to have fun and dance!

Happy 107th birthday, Jessie!

Watch her story in the video below: