‘I Made It’: 104-Year-Old Veteran Becomes Oldest Known Survivor of COVID-19, Then Celebrates His Birthday

Well, this just warms my heart y’all.  This man has been a hero and fighter his whole life, and coronavirus will not stop him.  Bill Lapschies, a 104-year-old World War II Army veteran, has beaten coronavirus.  Simply amazing!

"I made it."

A 104-year-old World War II veteran has become the oldest known survivor of the coronavirus outbreak after he defeated the disease in time for his birthday. https://t.co/CiaZ5VyylD

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 6, 2020

The Washington Examiner is reporting that Bill Lapschies is the oldest known survivor of coronavirus.   He also survived the 1918 Spanish flu (or 1918 pandemic flu as the really sensitive types now want to call it).

“I don’t know,” Lapschies said about defeating the illness to Oregon Public Broadcasting. “It just went away. Sit out here, and you can get rid of anything.”

The veteran’s survival is a rarity for the disease, the main casualties of which are those over 80 years old. Lapschies had a mild case of the virus and never got severe respiratory issues, according to one of his doctors.

“This could have easily gone another way,” said Dr. Rob Richardson, one of the doctors overseeing care at the veteran’s home. “There’s not a lot of interventions that can be done.”

There have been 16 people ill at Lapschies’ facility.  Half have already recovered and two have succumbed to the illness.

If you are feeling cooped up and a little down today, watch this video of Bill celebrating his birthday with his family.  It will surely lift your spirits.