They say Americans are living longer nowadays, but dang, I am not sure how long that can last. Everywhere I look, I see more overweight people -- myself included. As Americans eat more junk food and spend more time on their butts, heart disease and diabetes are on the rise, cutting the lifespans of many. Reaching 100 years old is becoming much harder to achieve.
Recently, however, a woman named Amor Macias (aka "Mama Moy") did just that -- she celebrated her 100th Birthday! Unfortunately, some of the family was unable to participate in the festivities -- not in person, at least. Instead, the family used Skype to communicate with the non-present family members with great results.
"When it dawned on her that she could hear and that they could have an actual conversation, her eyes lit up and she clapped with joy, it was incredible! Being hard of hearing, having that visual connection was huge for her", explains Nicole Pirshafiey, Skype user and Amor Macias' granddaughter.
The Skype Team explains, "it was at this moment that the whole family realized just how much technological advancement Mama Moy had seen during her 100 years. From having no electricity in the house as a child, to seeing the introduction of television, phones and the Internet -- Mama Moy used Skype to connect with her oldest grand-daughter and Nicole's stepdad for the first time in a century. Needless to say it made for an incredibly emotional day".
Sadly, the woman referred to as "Mama Moy" died shortly thereafter. A mere six days after experiencing the power of Skype, she was taken away. While this is sad, it is also beautiful that she was able to reach the age of 100 and celebrate it with her family. Microsoft deserves major kudos for developing a product that made this magical moment happen.
Do you use Skype to communicate with older family members? Tell me about it in the comments.