Maria Joaquina Gaspar, from Ansião, celebrated her 103rd birthday. Her life was marked by great difficulties since childhood, beginning to work at the mere age of 10 years old.
For eight years, she lived hospitalized in the former National Leprosarium of Tocha, an institution that welcomed people affected by the disease. After this period, she moved to Lisbon, where she remained for half a century.
At 103 years old, Maria Joaquina returned to her origins in Ansião, coming back to the land where she was born after decades of absence. Despite all the trials and adversities she faced throughout her life, the article highlights that she never lost her smile.
