Nag-celebrate si Pat DeReamer ng kanyang 95th birthday last April 1, 2025.
Residente si Pat ng Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Mas naging special ang pagdaraos ng kanyang kaarawan dahil sa isang tradisyon nila ng kaibigang si Mary Wheaton na nagsimula noong April 1, 1944.
Ang mag-best friend ay nagkakilala noong World War II matapos lumipat ang pamilya ni Pat sa Indianapolis noong 1942.
Twelve years old pa lang siya noon.
Pagbabahagi ni Pat sa news website na WLKY last April 2:
"I didn’t know very many people.
"So, Mary kind of picked me up out of the gutter and kind of, you know, was nice to me.
"We became really good friends."
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HOW THE FRIENDSHIP TRADITION STARTED
Nang sumapit ang 14th birthday ni Pat, niregaluhan siya ni Mary ng birthday card.
Nung si Mary naman ang nagdaos ng kanyang kaarawan pagsapit ng buwan ng May, natanggap niya ulit ang ipinadalang birthday card kay Pat.
Hanggang sa naging tradisyon na nila sa loob ng ilang dekada ang gawing gift sa isa’t isa ang naturang birthday card taun-taon.
Sinusulatan nila iyon ng mensahe para sa may kaarawan, nilalagdaan, at nilalagyan din ng petsa.
Pagbabahagi pa ni Pat: “We never said, 'We’re going to do this.'
“At least, I don’t remember ever saying that. It just happened.
“After about five years, it just… every year we’d talk about it, and it would give us some reason to call each other and talk.”
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BEST FRIENDS’ BIRTHDAY TRADITION RECOGNIZED BY GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Sa ika-60 taon ng pagpapalitan nina Pat at Mary ng mensahe sa lumang birthday card, naging international news ang kanilang friendship tradition.
Ginawaran ito ng Guinness World Records ng titulo bilang "Longest Greetings Card Exchange."
Ani Pat, “I think one of my children came up with the idea that this card had been going back and forth for so many years.”
Dahil parehong nasa 90s na ngayon ang mag-best friends, napakadalang na nilang magkita nang personal.
Pero nananatiling matatag ang kanilang pagiging magkaibigan.
Sambit ni Pat: “I think as you get older, you don’t seem to… you’re supposed to have more time.
“But we don’t seem to have as much time to share as we did when we were younger.”
Matatagalan pa bago matapos ang tradisyon ng magkaibigan.
Ngayong May, ipapadala ni Pat kay Mary ang birthday card para sa 95th birthday ng huli.
Ang kanyang best friend ay kasalukuyang naninirahan sa Wheaton, Illinois.
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