A Mother’s Love Endures, Still Strong at 104

The adage that there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love has never been more clearly illustrated than in the case of Maria Garcia and Rosario Schielzeth.

Maria Garcia is 87 years old, and after spending much of her life taking care of her children as a single mother, she is now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and needs a caretaker of her own.  So now the person she relies on the most to take care of her is her mother.

Yes.  You read that correctly. Her mother Rosario, who just turned 104 this week, cares for her daughter.  As a result of her dementia, Garcia has trouble remembering many things and Schielzeth is always there to lovingly remind her, things like where they live, what day it is, and if she ate.

At 104 years old, Schielzeth is in remarkable health.  She needs a walker to get around but otherwise, she does not wear a hearing aid or glasses and aside from vitamins, she only takes one pill a day to regulate her blood pressure.  Schielzeth attributes her good health to watching what she eats and staying away from doctors.

According to ABC News, since Rosario gave birth to Maria in 1925, the two women have almost never lived apart.  When Maria was starting her own family, she had her own home but it was right across the street, and when Maria’s husband left her for another woman, Rosario stepped in to help by cooking and cleaning for both households while Maria went to work.  As one of ten children, Rosario has been a caretaker her whole life and that still remains true.

Maria’s son and Rosario’s grandson Albert Garcia says that Rosario “has the patience of a saint”, never getting frustrated or upset when Maria asks the same questions over and over again.

Rosario reads the paper to Maria every morning and says she does it to try and keep Maria’s mind sharp. Albert believes his grandmother is still here because she believes she has to be there for Maria, even after all these years.

A mother’s love endures, even at 87, Rosario still sees Maria as her little girl.