EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana woman had a special way to celebrate her 100th birthday Monday.
Mildred Grassman, from Evansville, enjoyed her big day by getting her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Grassman got her first shot a few weeks ago and told the pharmacists she scheduled the second shot on her birthday. They were able to have a surprise celebration when she went to Ascension St. Vincent Evansville to get her shot.
The thought of the vaccines pulling us out of this pandemic feels like a gift for everyone. But in that sense, it was very literal for Grassman. But she wasn’t expecting a surprise birthday party.
“Oh it was wonderful. I'll never forget it,” said Grassman. “It was a good birthday present, a real nice birthday present.”
“We figured out that the second dose of the vaccine was going to fall on her 100th birthday,” said Claire Gammon, an RN who organized the surprise. “I went to the vaccine clinic coordinator and said 'we need to do something special.'”
The celebration is special, because otherwise there wasn’t much of a chance for a big to-do celebrating a century of life, since while Grassman is now vaccinated, that’s not the case for all her family and friends. Having people take the time to care will go a long way on any birthday, but this year especially.
“I never had anything like that in my life. I feel like a queen, to get all this attention. I’ll never forget it,” said Grassman.