Mayfield Village Card Group Celebrates Woman's 101st Birthday

Esther Saginor celebrated her 101st birthday a day early with fellow card players who gather every Tuesday afternoon at the .

"Esther has to be the youngest 101-year-old you'll ever see," said Eunice Kalina, Mayfield Village human services director.

Saginor, whose birthday is today, said her key to longevity is to stay interested and involved and to smile a lot.

"Enjoy life, smile. Don't take too seriously the things that go wrong," she said. "I've also been lucky, I've always been healthy."

However, she fell outside her apartment in Cleveland last week while on her way to play cards. She broke her shoulder and had a swollen knee and a number of bruises, but she was right back playing cards at the Thursday afternoon session.

"This is a nice group and I love this game," Saginor said while playing the card game hand and foot.

Saginor lives alone and is proudly independent, although there are some things she can no longer do for herself – she gave up driving at age 96.

"Stay interested in what's going on and keep your brain alive," she said.