Juana Rodriguez couldn’t help but tap her feet to the Latin beats pumping from the stereo system at the Manhattan View Health Care Center in Union City during her birthday bash on June 15.
At 100 years old, Rodriguez can still be found in the halls of the facility cracking jokes and dancing at the center’s monthly birthday parties.
“She is in great health,” said Eli Lieber, the administrator at the Health Care Center on 32nd Street, where Rodriguez has been living since October. “She isn’t on any medication. I think we give her a multi-vitamin each day.”
Rodriguez, whose birthday is on June 16, fled Cuba for the United States in 1975 leaving only one of her nine children behind.
After successfully entering this country, Juana settled in West New York and then North Bergen before moving to Manhattan View.
Although Juana seems to be in perfect health, her granddaughter, Maria G. Rodriguez, said that Manhattan View is partly responsible for her grandmother’s health.
“Her being [at Manhattan View] has helped her turn 100,” said Maria, explaining that when she lived at home, Juana was constantly falling.
Juana was one of Manhattan View’s first residents when they opened in October 2000, and now the center has about 90 residents.
Going back
After Juana survived raising nine children and fleeing her native country at 76 years old, it is not surprising that she is still in perfect health.
Born in Guantanomo, Cuba in 1901, Rodriguez dropped out of school in the fourth grade to help her family. At an early age, Juana began washing and ironing clothes and cleaning for wealthy people.
Juana finally made it to the United States in 1975, after a short detour in Mexico. However, after leaving one son and grandson behind, Rodriguez was determined to visit Cuba again, although she was forbidden to return there. Juana’s granddaughter Maria explained that anyone who flees Cuba is almost blacklisted.
“If they are to return they are automatically put in Cuban jails,” said Maria.
However, Juana became a U.S. citizen and returned to Cuba.
“[Becoming a citizen] was the only way she would be able to return,” said Maria.
When Juana returned to Cuba, she found that the political situation had become worse than when she had left. “I expected that there would be some changes,” said Juana through her granddaughter. “But I didn’t expect as many changes. The Cuba I once knew no longer was.”
Family ties
While Maria credits Manhattan View for Juana’s good health, many can say that it is the close ties that Juana has kept with her family that has kept her young.
Maria traveled from Miami for her grandmother’s birthday, and another grandchild flew in from Mexico.
“Turning 100 is a very big deal,” said Maria, who visited her grandmother one month ago. “I was afraid, what if she didn’t make it.”
According to Maria, Juana still has some grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Cuba that keep in touch although they have never met her.
At the center’s birthday celebration, Juana received a proclamation from the city of Union City and a letter from President George W. Bush.