Grandma films herself singing Happy Birthday and blowing out her candles after coronavirus lockdown forces her to celebrate turning 88 alone
A grandmother who was forced to sing Happy Birthday to herself alone under self-quarantine has received thousands of good wishes after the moment was posted online.
Norma Gregotio celebrated turning 88 at her home in Union Square, New Jersey without her family, but sent them a video of her singing the classic tune to show them she was in good spirits.
Her family had sent her a flower cake, which she even stuck candles into to blow out to make a 'very special wish'.
In the footage, Norma can be heard saying: 'Its my birthday today, and I'm all alone because of the virus. But look what I have here.
'No one can come to see me, but I've got cakes and gifts to remind me that it's my special day.'
Norma Gregotio, who celebrated turning 88 at her home in Union Square, New Jersey without her family, has received thousands of good wishes after the moment was posted online
She has since become an online sensation, with the video being viewed over nine million times and thousands of people sending her good wishes for her big day.
'[Our family] sent her a flower cake from 1-800-Flowers. She was very appreciative and she just decided to record herself singing 'Happy Birthday,' and emailed it to me and my family,' Kerrigan told Good Morning America.
'It was just the cutest thing, and I decided to post it,' Kerrigan added. 'I didn't think anything would come of it.'
Her granddaughter, Jessica Kerrigan, 22, then posted the touching moment on TikTok, saying 'I didn't think anything would come of it'
The grandmother's video of her singing Happy Birthday to herself had been viewed over nine million times
When Jessica told Norma that she had become an internet 'star', she replied saying that she felt more like 'a galaxy'.
Norma was born March 25, 1932 in New York City, but lived in Italy during World War II, and says she understands what it's like to go through a crisis.
After returning to the US, she settled in upstate New Jersey.
Her family had sent her a flower cake, which had even stuck candles into to blow out and make a 'very special wish'
And while Norma appreciates all of the kind comments she has been sent, she said she wants people to know that she isn't sad to be alone.
'I don't know why they're crying. I'm always happy, I wasn't sad,' she said. 'I have a philosophy: I think every morning when I wake up, I say "Thank you, God, for giving me another day." Every night when I go to sleep, I say, "Thank you, God, for giving me a day to live".'
Norma did however add that she was slightly disappointed the flower cake her family had sent her wasn't edible.
No comments: