The Story of Our Living Centenarian

Ms. Xin Di Lei affectionately known as "Lew Moo", turned 102 years old. HCS held a huge birthday party to celebrate this milestone in her life, having lived a century of history.

Ms. Lei was the 12th member to joined HCS when it opened its doors in 1997 and is a very proud HCS member. She is among one of the oldest seniors at HCS senior center. Born in 1914 in a small farming village in Taishan, China, Ms. Lei survived the Cultural Revolution, endured poverty and did farm related work in her youth. Due to poverty, her father had immigrated to Cuba in search of work and he never returned back to China to see his children grow up. Ms. Lei was married at a young age and had five children. Shortly after arriving in America, her husband passed away and she became a single mother. She found work as a seamstress in a factory in Chinatown and worked there for some years until retirement when her kids were able to come of age and find work and start lives of their own.

Ms. Lei loves America and her life here. She enjoys playing mah-jong with friends and singing Chinese opera. Her secret to longevity and good health is having happiness and being thankful. She treasures the lifelong value of family and friends and never has anything negative to say. She always tries to look at the positive and have been a joy to be around. HCS is lucky to have this special centenarian in our midst who teaches us that we can all overcome obstacles to live a good and honest life.