A grandmother who was forced to spend her 88th birthday alone in lockdown certainly made the most of it, and has now gone viral online.
Norma Gregorio recorded herself singing "Happy Birthday" and making a birthday wish, which she then sent to her family. Her 22-year-old granddaughter, Jessica Kerrigan, posted the moment on TikTok, where it has since garnered eight million views.
"[Our family] sent her a flower cake from 1-800-Flowers. She was very appreciative and she just decided to record herself singing 'Happy Birthday,' and emailed it to me and my family," Kerrigan told Good Morning America.
Grandma makes video celebrating 88th birthday alone in quarantine while singing 'Happy Birthday' to herself:"It was just the cutest thing, and I decided to post it, I didn't think anything would come of it,'' she added. Kerrigan said that when she told her grandmother "she was a star now," she responded, "'I'm not a star, I'm a galaxy!'"
"She loves the attention! She's very happy and surprised.'''
"It was my birthday and I was here by myself. My granddaughter and daughter sent me a cake," Gregorio explained to the publication. "I decided to [record myself singing] because I know how to do it. I'm 88, but I can Skype, WhatsApp and TikTok."
While she appreciates the views and comments, she wants people to know that she wasn't disappointed to be alone: "I don't know why ... they're crying. I'm always happy, I wasn't sad," she said. "I have a philosophy: I think every morning when I wake up, I say 'Thank you, God, for giving me another day.' Every night when I go to sleep, I say, 'Thank you, God, for giving me a day to live.''
