Cards Pour In For Bessie's 109th Birthday At Nursing Facility In Morris

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Staff members at a Morris nursing facility aren't letting COVID-19 stop them from celebrating a huge birthday for one of their residents.

When COVID-19 put a damper on plans for Bessie's 109th birthday celebration, the staff at the Gardens at Park Pointe set out to try to get 109 people to send her a card. Now they're up to more than 300 cards from as far away as Hawaii, and are hoping to get one from every state. The staff is planning on surprising Bessie with all the cards on April 19.

"She's going to be blown away," said Nikole Drecker, of Gardens at Park Pointe. "She knows that her age is a big deal. But I don't think that she's going to expect what we've got planned for."