How a 100-Year-Old Woman Became a Social Media Sensation: The Inspiring Centenarian’s Story
When Gayle Kirschenbaum featured her 99-year-old mother on Instagram, she never imagined virality
Gayle Kirschenbaum, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker from Long Island, New York, was thrilled to be a guest on a popular talk show where she discussed her new film, A Dog’s Life: A Dogamentary. Shortly after she arrived home, her mom called, but instead of hearing praise, she was criticized. When is this going to end? Gayle wondered.
Gift of forgiveness
Publicly, Gayle was successful and confident. Privately, she struggled with insecurities due to criticisms from her mother, Mildred. “I’m not being mean; sometimes parents have to be stern out of love,” Gayle remembered her mother saying.
Their relationship remained rocky over the decades, but then, in 2006, as her father was dying, Gayle promised she would take care of her mother.
That summer, when one of her films made it into a festival in France, and her mom, an avid traveler who used to own a travel agency, said, “I’m coming with you,” Gayle agreed, and they had a better time than she thought was possible.
That trip marked a new beginning.
Gayle, then 51, decided she needed to work toward forgiving her mother. Not only did her quest help her begin to release the pain of her past, within a few years, she became a forgiveness coach. This prompted Gayle to delve deeper into her mother’s background, and she uncovered tragic secrets.
In 1930, at just 7 years old, Mildred lost her twin sister to pneumonia. Her mother became an overly protective “helicopter parent” long before the term existed. Mildred, a talented violinist, was accepted into the Juilliard School, but her mom refused to let her attend. Adding to her childhood trauma, Mildred’s father had severe depression, attempted suicide and was confined to bed.
Armed with this new information, Gayle began to look at Mildred not as just her mother, but as a wounded child who was hurting.
A star is born
Mildred was now living in Boca Raton, Florida, and Gayle started video calling her mother regularly. They also began traveling together more frequently. Mildred was having a great time, and Gayle was also feeling more optimistic about their relationship.
In 2022, they cruised to the Caribbean to celebrate Mildred’s upcoming 99th birthday, and Gayle spontaneously pointed her camera’s phone toward her mom and asked how she felt about the milestone. “This is a big week for me! I’m going to be 99, and I cannot believe I still have my marbles!” Mildred exclaimed. Gayle posted the video to her Instagram (@glkirschenbaum), and it instantly went viral — it currently has 600,000 views — propelling the duo into social media sensations.
Over 100,000 fans have since flocked to the page to watch the growing bond between mother and daughter. “I’m sad when you leave,” Mildred says in one post. “It makes me cry.” In another they profess their love for one another. “I love you,” says Gayle.
“I love you more,” responds Mildred.
Now, Mildred openly speaks about the mistakes she’s made in their relationship. “Gayle forgave me on her own and because of that, we have a wonderful relationship.”
Mildred also gives advice on longevity. “Be active. Don’t waste your time walking to the fridge.” In one post, she urges people to let go of anger. “You have to remember that you’re walking through this life once — no second chances. You know where you were yesterday and where you are today, but you don’t know where you will be tomorrow.”
At their fans’ urging, Mildred put her advice in a book, Mildred’s Mindset: Wisdom from a Woman Centenarian, released in March of 2024.
Mildred, who will turn 101 on August 25, is as vibrant as ever. Gayle is thankful that God has kept her mother alive for so long because they are able to make up for lost time. “We’re not just mother and daughter,” Mildred says into the camera. “We’re also friends.”
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