When Helen Watson鈥檚 birthday rolled around last Saturday (Nov. 21), she couldn鈥檛 party like she was 100 鈥� as she did five years ago, when she actually turned 100 鈥� but the South Surrey senior wasn鈥檛 complaining.

READ MORE:

鈥淚t was very nice, everybody was so good to me,鈥� Watson told Peace Arch News Monday (Nov. 23) of her 105th birthday celebration.

鈥淚t was just fine the way it was.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic firmly quashed any plans that may have otherwise been made to celebrate the occasion in the fashion it deserves.

Pandemic protocols months ago changed how family visits could take place for Watson, and earlier this month 鈥� after restrictions were ramped-up due to the ongoing surge in cases 鈥� the visits were halted altogether, in the name of safety.

鈥淣obody鈥檚 allowed in right now, and that鈥檚 OK with us,鈥� Watson鈥檚 son, Larry, said last week. 鈥淚 understand that they鈥檙e very strict there. I鈥檓 glad they鈥檙e doing that because it鈥檚 for the safety of everyone there.鈥�

Larry said he and his wife had shifted how they visit some time ago, to standing at a safe distance outside his mom鈥檚 window and speaking to her over the phone. They could see and hear each other more clearly than through the Plexiglas screen that had to separate them inside, he explained, and 鈥渋t seems like a better visit.鈥�

The 79-year-old said it鈥檚 difficult to sum his mother鈥檚 life up in just a few lines. Words that describe her have long included artist, independent and feisty.

Now, the description also includes 鈥榮urvivor of two global pandemics,鈥� as Watson was three years old when the Spanish Flu struck in 1918.

鈥淗er parents were affected by it, her father, he went deaf from it,鈥� Larry said.

Larry said his mom is 鈥渧ery surprised鈥� and maybe a little upset鈥� about the current pandemic, 鈥渂ecause she can鈥檛 see her family.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the hard part for her, that she doesn鈥檛 get to see anybody.鈥�

When Watson first joined the ranks of centenarian in 2015, she welcomed a PAN reporter into her home, sharing a snippet of her creative side and just a few of the countless memories and experiences she has had 鈥� from an early childhood in Saskatchewan, to seeing her first airplane, to meeting her husband while working at St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital in Vancouver, to travelling solo around the province and into the U.S. into her early nineties.

鈥淚 did everything,鈥� she said at the time.

鈥淪he wasn鈥檛 scared to go out and do things,鈥� her son said Monday.

The family marked Watson鈥檚 first 100 years by publishing a book of photos, and this year, made her a blanket to take the chill off. They鈥檙e looking forward to days when they can have a proper visit.

鈥淗opefully everything will be OK in six months or so and her family can get back in and see her.鈥�