Ethel May Caterham ni umugore w’Umunyabwongereza wavukiye mu mudugudu wa Shipton Bellinger mu ntara ya Hampshire ku ya 21 Kanama 1909. Uyu mukecuru waciye agahigo yamenyekanye ku isi yose nyuma y’uko kuwa 30 Mata 2025 yemejwe ko ari we muntu ukuze kurusha abandi ku isi. Uyu mwanya yawusimbuyeho nyuma y’urupfu rwa Sœur Inah Canabarro Lucas wari ufite imyaka 116 akomoka muri Brazil.
Ethel yakuriye mu muryango w’abana umunani aho yari uwa kabiri. Ku myaka 18 gusa yoherejwe mu Buhinde ubwo bwari bukiri mu maboko y’Abongereza. Nyuma y’imyaka itatu yagarutse mu Bwongereza. Mu 1933 yashakanye na Norman Caterham wari umusirikare mu ngabo z’u Bwongereza, bakaba barimukiye hamwe mu bihugu bitandukanye birimo Hong Kong na Gibraltar. Bari bafitanye abana ariko bose barapfuye mbere ye, bituma nyuma y’imyaka myinshi ajya kwitabwaho n’urugo rw’abafite ubumuga n’abasheshe akanguhe mu gace ka Lightwater muri Surrey.
Ethel Caterham yabayeho mu kinyejana cyahinduye isi, yanyuze mu ntambara ya mbere n’iya kabiri y’isi yose, inkubiri z’amavugurura y’uburenganzira bw’abagore, ndetse n’iterambere rikomeye ry’ikoranabuhanga. Ariko ku myaka 115, ubwo yagirwaga umuntu ukuze kurusha abandi, Ethel yagaragaye nk’intwari ituje, ishyira mu gaciro kandi ifite imbaraga zidasanzwe z’umwuka.
Iyo abajijwe ibanga ryatumye agira ubuzima burebure, Ethel asubiza yitonze ko adakunda intonganya, ko yumva abandi kandi ko akora ibyo ashaka uko abyumva. Avuga ko atajya arakarira buri muntu, ko yahisemo kuba mu mahoro no kwishimira ubuzima bwe uko buri, kandi ko ibyo byamufashije kugera kure. Yabaye umushoferi kugeza afite imyaka 97, kandi yishimira gutembera no kwita ku busitani. Yabashije no kurenga icyorezo cya COVID-19 afite imyaka 110.
Amateka ya Ethel Caterham yerekana ko ubuzima burebure bushobora gushingira ku mahitamo yoroshye ariko afite igisobanuro gikomeye. Kuba yarabayeho mu bihe bigoye akabitsinda, akaba atarigeze atekereza ku myaka afite ahubwo yibanda ku kuryoherwa n’ubuzima, bigaragaza ko kuramba atari igitangaza cyabereye kure, ahubwo ari umusaruro w’ubuzima bwituje, bwubaha abandi kandi budashyira igitutu ku mutima.
Kugeza uyu munsi, Ethel ni we muntu mukuru ku isi uriho, akaba n’umwe mu bantu babayeho igihe kirekire kurusha abandi mu mateka y’u Bwongereza. Inkuru ye ikomeje gutanga isomo rikomeye ku bantu benshi ku isi hose, ko amahoro yo mu mutima n’urukundo rw’ubuzima bishobora kuba imiti ikomeye yo kuramba kurusha ibinini n’ubuvuzi.