Meet Mazie Ford. She is 112 years old and has been volunteering at the Regional Memorial Hospital for over 10 years.
She admits that the secret to her longevity lies in happiness and love. Well, perhaps also in the fact that Mazie doesn’t let anything discourage her.
She always wears a blonde wig, a colorful blouse with a butterfly brooch, and makeup. Mazie likes to say that no one has ever seen her without pink lipstick.
After being widowed, she moved to Hallandale, where she quickly remarried.
She has always been a creative person. For her 100th birthday, for example, Mazie handcrafted pink wire and bead butterflies for the guests.
And when simple crafts bored her, she started knitting for charity, first for the Warm Up America Foundation.
Mazie began knitting small baby caps as a volunteer at the Regional Memorial Hospital at the age of 100.
Now she knits one cap every day and brings them to the hospital once a month.
The rest of the time, Mazie doesn’t leave her apartment.
It’s worth mentioning that thanks to knitting, Mazie met her best friend Marla, who works at the hospital.
Mazie fills the caps with towels to keep them in shape.
“I try to match the colors so they go well together. I find it beautiful, I love everything I do,” she says.
Previously, Mazie and her daughter would knit at least 50 caps per month, but now they have slowed down a bit and make around 35.
“Knitting helps keep her mind active and have regular contact with people, so she’s not alone all the time. Volunteering supports her, and I hope it supports me too,” says her daughter Joanne.
Mazie celebrated her 112th birthday just like the five previous years, with a dinner at a restaurant with her loved ones.
She hopes that next year, she can once again gather with her daughter, her friend Marla, and her husband to share a steak.
Mazie is a living example that at any age, it’s important not to lose hope and do what you love.
