A woman has touched millions of hearts after revealing how she kept a piece of cake in her fridge for 53 years baked for her by her dad the day before he died.
Maria Fernanda da Rocha, 84, has treasured the perfectly preserved honey cake – made by her father Luiz da Mata – since 1970.
A day after he baked it at the family’s home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Luiz died and Maria has refused to let go of the slice ever since.
Her tribute to her dad has been revealed on social media by her grandson, 34-year old veterinarian Gabriel Rocha.
Miraculously the cake looks almost exactly as it did when it was freshly baked.
Luiz made the snack for his daughter the day before he suddenly died of a heart attack aged just 63 and she chose to hang onto it as a keepsake.
He learned how to bake after he moved to Sao Paulo from Portugal and began working at the Jockey Club as a bartender.
Gabriel told local media: “His relationship with his daughter was great, they were always close.”
On the day of that last honey cake, his grandmother was already married and living away from home.
Knowing that she has a sweet tooth, Luiz decided to treat his daughter to a honey cake he himself prepared.
The final piece was the only remains of the cake they had shared over coffee the day before he died.
Maria recalled: “Always, in his spare time, he made delicious dishes.”
And she could not bring herself to throw away the delicacy, the last memory of the two together.
To her astonishment, the cake never spoiled or grew moldy.
It has never been frozen and has been in her fridge wrapped in plastic since 1970.
It even survived a house move from Sao Paulo to Diadema without harm.
Maria said: “It was the very honey that preserved the cake. There’s no sign of mold or smell or anything.
“It just got hard and decreased a little in size.”
The post has already been seen by almost two million users and has topped 46,000 likes.
In the comments, users praised Maria’s attitude and shared memories that they treasure.
Twitter user ‘juenige’ said: “Grief is part of everyone who lives. Material things help, especially in the beginning.
“And then they go on reframing. I have a jade pendant that my grandmother gave me and I use it every time I need a breath or affection. And then I remember her.
“It became an object of love and remembrance.”
Another user titled ‘eederjr’ wrote: “Worse than I understand… To this day I have a lock of my mother’s hair that fell out because of the chemo, but I strangely love to keep it and it doesn’t make me feel pain, on the contrary.”
And user ‘lavagrly’ commented: “I keep in my freezer a piece of the salty bread that my mother made shortly before she passed away! It’s been two years. It remains intact.”
