Charlotte Gerson celebrated her 92nd birthday this March, and we received hundreds of absolutely delightful messages of support and celebration. However, as Charlotte continues to advance further into her nineties, we have also begun to hear more and more from people inquiring about her health. So, we thought we would share an update about how Charlotte is doing these days.

Last year, as you may know, Charlotte tripped over an electrical cord in her bathroom and broke her pelvis. Her doctor told her that few women of her age ever recover from a fall like that, yet she surprised everyone by recuperating much more quickly than expected, and was indeed up and walking without assistance a few months later. A wonderful reminder of the power of healing foods and juices! Some aches, pains and stiffness persisted, of course, and since then Charlotte has needed a good bit more rest and relaxation than before.

You may have noticed that, since then, that she has done fewer interviews, lectures and public appearances. As our Events Coordinator Lynne Bacaj likes to say, “we’re giving her time off for good behavior!” We are grateful that she has taken more time for self-care and to focus on her own health. After devoting so many decades of her life to caring for the health of others, it is sometimes challenging to remind Charlotte to prioritize her own well-being first!

However, last month, Charlotte had another fall in her home, and suffered a broken hip—this one more serious than last time. Fortunately, she has a devoted live-in companion who was on hand to assist her and help her get to the hospital.

Due to the type of fracture her injury caused, surgery was necessary. Charlotte had previously only gone under anesthesia once in her life before this, so she was naturally nervous, but the surgery went off without a hitch. She had a follow-up appointment with her surgeon last week, who confirmed that she is healing well from the procedure.

She is currently staying in a beautiful rehabilitation facility near the beach, where she enjoys watching the seagulls from her window. She soaks up her daily vitamin D from the sunshine for a few minutes every day, and likes to put her bare feet on the ground and do a little bit of “earthing” every day. Her doctor anticipates that she will likely need to remain in rehab for another 3-4 months. Her recovery will not be as easy as last time, but she is getting lots of deep rest and receiving excellent care.

Charlotte’s family has come to visit her, which has cheered her immensely; her daughter Margaret has come all the way from Italy to visit, and they are happy for the opportunity to spend time together. Harrison, a member of our Education Team, delivers her Gerson food and juices to Charlotte every day, and another friend comes to give her a gentle, nurturing massage.

She expresses loving gratitude for everyone helping her through this difficult time. We tell her that it is simply our turn to give back after all the decades that she has supported the unsung heroes doing the Gerson Therapy, and inspired others to learn about natural healing.

If you would like to send Charlotte a get-well card, we’re sure it would delight and cheer her up!

You can send cards or notes to the Gerson Institute, and we will bring them to her along with her daily meals.