WAYNE, Mich. – It was a birthday to remember. A Metro Detroit woman turned 100 Sunday shortly after she had beaten coronavirus.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ula Underwood and her son Phil Stargell would have dinner together almost every night, but with the restrictions, he wasn’t able to visit her on a regular basis anymore.
For her 100th birthday, Stargell knew he had to make it special.
“I used to be down there almost every night at dinner with her,” Stargell said. “I would bring in fried chicken and steaks and stuff down there.”
The pandemic has been anything but normal for Stargell, who hardly every gets to see his mother anymore.
“I had to be very careful about going down to the nursing home with this stuff going around,” Stargell said.
But with the help of the staff at Molina Healthcare, he was able to celebrate his mom on her 100th birthday safely outside of her nursing home in Wayne.
“I wanted to do something big because reaching 100 is huge,” said Molina Healthcare senior engagement specialist Elizabeth Crenshaw. “It’s monumental. Just living through nine decades is a huge accomplishment and I really wanted to make this special during the pandemic.”
Reaching 100 is a huge milestone for anyone, but Stargell said he feels extra blessed knowing his mom beat COVID-19 in 2020.
“It was terrifying because the time that she got it, I had been very very careful,” Stargell said.
And while the pandemic is still ongoing, Stargell is careful around his mom, but he counts his blessing even more whenever he gets a chance to be with her.
“Count those blessings and pray that you can have as many of them as you can get,” Stargell said.
READ: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases