World's oldest person reaches 115 - 07/04/09

The world's oldest known living person has celebrated her 115th birthday in Los Angeles and has been honoured by President Obama.

Despite a selection of gifts and presents from friends and staff at Western Convalescent Hospital, where Gertrude lives, the biggest surprise came from Barack Obama, who sent her a letter to mark the special occasion.

Friends sang and enjoyed two birthday cakes, before the event was formerly marked by a proclamation from Guinness World Records acknowledging her as the world's oldest person.

Robert Young, a scientist and senior consultant with Guinness, said: "Who would take Los Angeles for the place that would have the world's oldest person? Living that long is like winning the genetic lottery."

Gertrude, who became the world's oldest living person when a 115-year-old woman, Maria de Jesus, died in Portugal in January, was born in 1894 in Shellman, Georgia and puts her longevity down to not smoking, drinking and "never fooling around".

She has outlived all of her family, including her daughter who died of typhoid fever when she was a toddler.

According to her physician Charles Witt Jr, she only has two complaints.

"Number one, she doesn't like the bacon. It's not crisp enough. And the other thing is she fusses about her arthritis of her knees."

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