Grandmother Celebrates 95th Birthday With Family While Social Distancing

As the coronavirus pandemic tightens its grip across the world, people are finally beginning to realise just how important social distancing is, not just to help you avoid catching the virus, but also to stop you spreading it.

That's especially important for those older people in the 'at risk' category, but that doesn't mean they can't still have fun, as this video shows.

Sara Byrne filmed the moment her family surprised her grandmother outside her house in Syracuse, New York, on her 95th birthday.

Known to her family as Grandma Byrne, the birthday girl stepped outside her home to be greeted with a line of family members - each keeping themselves the required one and a half metres away from each other - singing her 'Happy Birthday'. It really is a heartwarming sight to behold - and even the family dog got involved in the celebrations.

Posting the video to Instagram, Sara wrote: 'If you're lucky enough to know Grandma Byrne, you're lucky enough!! Wishing this amazing lady a very happy 95th birthday today, love you Gram!'

Although it's obviously essential in order to beat the virus, isolation can also be lonely - particularly for older people living alone. Grandma Byrne was clearly delighted that her family made the effort to ensure she wasn't alone on her birthday, and it certainly shows how strong the human spirit is in difficult times such as these.

sabyrne5/Instagram

Since being posted just a day ago (on Match 19th), the video has been seen almost 30,000 times, and has since been shared across the internet way beyond Instagram. The fact that it's gone viral has inspired a wealth of positive comments from friends and strangers alike on the original instagram post.

"Oh how the world needed this," read one comment. "Happy birthday to your grandma!"

"Happy wonderful birthday to your grandmother!!!! This was sooo beautiful!" wrote another person.

Comments came from as far afield as Brazil, Canada, London and Australia, as well as everywhere in between. So if you miserable about having to be by yourself right now, just watch this video. It'll soon make you feel better!

Let's all bring some positivity, support and fun to anyone who might find themselves in isolation as a result of the coronavirus spread. Need some entertainment? Join Isolation Nation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronasupport/

Topics: Coronavirus, Community

Mischa Pearlman

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]