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Jose Ferreira dos SantosBrazilian centenarian
Date of Birth: 09.11.1900
Country:  Brazil |
Content:
- José Ferreira dos Santos, Brazil's Oldest Resident
- Potential Contenders
- Family History and Work Life
- Health and Lifestyle
- Record Holders and Contenders
José Ferreira dos Santos, Brazil's Oldest Resident
Brazilian centenarian José claims to be two years older than 115-year-old Japanese woman Kane Tanaka, who currently holds the world record as the 'oldest living person.' José Ferreira dos Santos says he is 118 years old, as per his birth certificate showing November 9, 1900 as his date of birth. The Brazilian was born in Barracao, now Rio Real in the northeastern state of Bahia.
Santos' story has reportedly caught the attention of an Itajuipe blogger, who is now working on gathering documentation to verify his claim. If successful, the pensioner would be included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living person overall and the oldest man alive.
Potential Contenders
However, the attempt to become a record-holder could be thwarted, at least in the former category, if another contender, a Chechen woman named Koku Istambulova, proves her claimed age of 129. Local media reports state that Santos has been married to Lindaura Rocha de Jesus, now 98, for 78 years. The pair eloped to get married and start their family.
Family History and Work Life
"My mother was furious with him," Lindaura recalls. José worked on farms in southern Bahia for 58 years before retiring. His eldest daughter, Cremilda Ferreira, says her father always wanted help with his work.
"We started working when we were 10 years old, and it was very hard," she adds. "My father would take us to the farm and say that if we didn't manage to pick a couple of cocoa pods while cleaning, we had to pick one for sure." The oldest verified male ever to have lived was Japanese man Jiroemon Kimura, who died in 2013 at the age of 116 years and 54 days.
Health and Lifestyle
The Brazilian's family says they try to keep his glucose and cholesterol levels under control. However, the centenarian struggles to stand and walk even short distances. He spends most of his days sitting or lying down.
Record Holders and Contenders
On July 22, 2018, following the death of 117-year-old Chiyo Miyako, Kane Tanaka, then 115 years old, officially became the oldest person alive.
Kane resides in a nursing home in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, and is reportedly in good health. She attributes her longevity to strong family ties, getting enough sleep, and never losing hope.
Challenging all record-holders, Chechen woman Koku Istambulova came to light only a month ago. She presented a Russian passport and pension documents that indicate her birth date as June 1, 1889.
Istambulova claims to remember Stalin's mass deportation of the Chechen people to the steppes of Kazakhstan almost 75 years ago.
Regarding her long life, Koku considers herself punished by God. She cites her only happy day as when she returned to her own home, which she built herself after surviving Stalin's purges during World War II.
The Chechen woman has lived through two world wars, the Russian civil war after the Bolshevik revolution, and two Chechen wars.
She asks, "Why has Allah given me such a long life and so little happiness?... I would have died long ago if Allah had not kept me in his hands."
