Abuelita in Her 70s Finally Has Quinceañera of Her Dreams Before Open Heart Surgery

As they say, it’s never too late — whether writing that book you’ve always thought about, opening up that bakery you’ve always dreamed of, or getting to that party a couple of hours after it started (just our Latino families? Okay).

One 70-year-old abuelita proved the idiom once again by having an all-out quinceañera in her native Mexico City. While most quinceañeras are, of course, 15 years old, this abuelita was never given the opportunity to have one. After a health battle, she finally made her lifelong dream come true.

As reported by Al Rojo Vivo, an abuelita had the quinceañera of her dreams to celebrate her 70th birthday. She recently suffered a health scare that left her “on the verge of death,” so what better time to celebrate life? The abuelita surely came out of the harrowing experience even wiser, and knew it was time to make her quinceañera wish a reality.

She invited tons of friends and family to her party and danced the night away.

The salón was decorated in blue and white, and included tons of balloons and butterflies. The abuelita wore a gorgeous royal blue gown with a silver-embroidered sash that matched her hair accessories. She wore her hair up, complementing her outfit with white gloves and jewelry.

Another big reason she chose to have her quinceañera now? She has an upcoming open heart surgery. In fact, she told her guests that if she does not survive the surgery, she will “leave calm and happy” because her bucket list is complete.

The abuelita didn’t have the quinceañera a minute too soon — she’s been praying for a party like this her whole life. Sadly, she couldn’t have a quinceañera at 15 years because of a “very difficult childhood” and a “dysfunctional” family.

As per Semana, the 70-year-old says that “with God’s help,” her surgery will go well. Once it does, she can’t wait to have fun with her loved ones again.