"I have 16 children, but everyone has forgotten about me and I feel so lonely": the lament of a 97-year-old
Every child should care about their parents and at the same time, be able to lead an independent life. But unfortunately, this is not always possible and the hectic life of modern times has led to the dramatic rise of a social problem: the pain of loneliness.
A clear example of this is the story of Isabel Méndez Jiménez, a 97-year-old woman who has become accustomed to living on a humble ranch in Mexico. All of her family have left and gone to the city, returning to visit her less and less often.
via La Nacion
"I have 16 children and I am more lonely than ever before. I had eight boys and eight girls. They got married and forgot about me," she said regretfully. "My children have met women or men from other cities and have never returned here. They support their families, but I live alone." Her story was made public by Mexican journalist, Jaime Toral, who described the woman's daily life on social media, hoping that her sad words would reach the ears of her children.
In her story, the woman explained that she was widowed at the age of 33, but even then she did not feel a pain similar to that which she feels now. Loneliness is the feeling that accompanies her all day long. According to her story, the relative who visits her most often is one of her nephews, who is 23 years old: "He sells baskets, leaves me some money and spends only a few hours with me".
For a living, the woman sells cloth for tablecloths, but her job has more difficult as her vision is fading. The woman spends her days accompanied by her pets: cats and a dog, who is in charge of protecting her at all times.
Her diet revolves around cheese, meat and a few other foods, as she explained in the interview. Her story, shared on social media, went viral on TikTok, where the video got more than 37 million views and where many people expressed interest in helping her.
We hope that she will get the assistance she needs and, above all, that some of her children will come back to her and give her some company in her old age.
