Happy Birthday Joan

There’s something sacred about reaching 90 years, a milestone that reflects not only the passage of time, but the triumph of spirit. It’s a celebration of life in all its fullness: the joy, the pain, the prayers, and the perseverance. It reminds us that aging is not a decline, but a deepening, and that every year lived is a story worth honoring.

On May 10th, during Mother’s Day weekend, our family gathered from all over the world to celebrate my grandmother Joan’s 90th birthday. Some traveled to be there in person, and others, including her son in Ethiopia and grandchildren living abroad, joined the celebration through Zoom. It was a heartfelt tribute to a woman whose life has touched so many.

We presented the tribute video above during her birthday party, a slideshow filled with cherished memories, honoring the journey of a woman whose presence continues to be a gift to everyone around her.

But Joan’s story is more than beautiful, it is miraculous.

Over 35 years ago, while living in New York, she became gravely and suddenly ill. Doctors could not determine the cause, and after extensive evaluation, they told her there was no cure and no hope. She was placed in hospice care and given just weeks to live. Burial preparations began. She was then transferred from hospice in New York to a hospice center in Jamaica, where she was expected to die.

And yet, she lived.

Through the prayers of many and what can only be described as a divine healing, she defied every prognosis. Her strength returned. Her life continued. And now, decades later, she is the last surviving sibling in her family, standing as a living testament to faith, resilience, and the beauty of life.

This birthday wasn’t just a celebration of age. It was a celebration of survival, of answered prayers, of the grace that carries us through the hardest seasons.

Happy 90th, Grandma Joan. Your life is a miracle, and your story continues to inspire us all.