John Levina doctor from Melbourne, Australia, surprised by revealing that he had been father at 92 years old in February 2024, with his partner of a decade, Yangying Lua 37 year old Chinese teacher. Together with their 20-month-old baby, they told how they met and the criticism they face due to their age difference.
Dr. Levin, born in the 1930s, works as a general practitioner in the coastal capital of the state of Victoria, and gained some fame since he made statements to several local media about his studies on the anti aging.
In an exclusive interview with The Herald Sunsaid that he has a new goal: to live to be 115 years old, to see his son Gabby turn 21.
In a current photo, at 93 years old. (Photo: Facebook «John Levin»)
A marriage 56 years apart and their decision to become parents
«My wife and partner of 57 years, mother of my first three children, had passed away, and I felt very alone,» Levin said.
In the midst of grief and widowhood, at the age of 83 he thought about learning a new language to have a hobby that would distract him.
«I don’t know why, but I chose Chinese,» he recalled. A friend’s referrals led him to his first class with the linguistics teacher Yanying Luwho was 27 years old at the time and taught Mandarin on Monday afternoons.
«He was a terrible student, but he made me laugh a lot,» the teacher recalled with humor. The conversations became more and more frequent, and the common point was their passion for medicine and healthy aging.
Yanying Lu at 27 years old, when she met the doctor (Photo: Facebook/Yanying Lu)«I’m not a doctor, but My father was a surgeon in China and my mother was a nursing director.so I told him that if he was interested in learning more about anti-aging, he should come to my house for dinner,» Lu said.
That family meal was the beginning of a romance that progressed quickly, and after a seven-month courtship they decided to move in together.
When the young woman’s parents learned that she had fallen in love with that man 56 years older than her, they were surprised, but after chatting with him they accepted Dr. Levin, and invited him to join their Chinese New Year celebrations.
«At my age it is very easy to know what you want and make decisions, so We got married a year after we met, in Las Vegas.«revealed the Australian doctor.
When they made their relationship public, rumors and criticism began. «Many thought that Lu was with me for money, but when I met her she was bankrupt; our story is one of true love and we are happy,» said the doctor.
John Levin, the doctor who became a father at 93: «He gives me life»
The teacher confessed that she had not thought about being a mother, it was not in her plans until she reconsidered during the long confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They had already been together as a married couple for more than ten years, and they had a serious talk about their future. «I thought: If I lose him, I want a part of himone of his sons, and I have a lot of support because we have put together the families in a wonderful way,» explained the young woman.
The doctor at 82, when he met his future wife. (Photo: Facebook «John Levin»)Levin’s three children from his first marriage also accepted their dad’s new wife. Ashley, 62, Samantha, 60, and Greg, who was 65 when he died in 2024 from motor neurone disease (MND).
Five months before their firstborn, Greg, 65, died, Gabby, the couple’s first child, was born. «I was very lucky in the IVF process, because I know women who have needed 14 cycles of assisted fertilization to get pregnant, and we achieved it on the first attempt,» said the young Chinese woman.
Although he is 93 years old, the family doctor, who has 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, intends to be present throughout his youngest son’s childhood.
With his son on a walk along the beaches of Melbourne. (Photo: Facebook/Yanying Lu)«Being present for his 21st birthday is a goal, really seeing my son smile gives me life every day,» he said. When they go out for a family walk, many believe that Gabby is their grandson or great-grandson, and they take it with humor.
«When we explain it to them, they can’t contain their surprise. But for us, it’s about the decisions that make us happy, and we can’t control how others feel,» said the 37-year-old.
When asked about her fears of being a mother when her husband is no longer in this world, she was forceful with her response: «I am not afraid of raising my son alone, because we are in another century and there are as many types of families as there are children, and they make their lives work, so I will be able to too.»
«My wife is well protected, we have a community that supports us, and she will never be alone,» said the doctor.
They even revealed that they are thinking about having a second baby, and have already returned to the IVF process. «We would like to have a girl, but we are still talking about it,» they revealed.
He is 93, she is 37 and they were parents together.
Secrets of longevity and the desire to live to 115 years
Dr. Levin has been sharing anti-aging advice for 20 years. «In my case, I have been injecting human growth hormones for three decades, since I turned 60, and I lead a strict lifestyle that includes going to the gym twice a week, a mostly vegetarian diet, and not drinking alcohol or smoking.»
It indicates that it maintains good nutrition supported by multivitamins, fish oil, amino acids and antioxidants.
He also keeps his mind sharp by working in his office five days a week in six-hour shifts. «Aging is inevitable, but there are ways to do it as best as possible,» says the doctor who aims to live to 115 years of age.
«Although I am a passionate practitioner of anti aging medicine, «Happiness is the essential ingredient for quality of life, and nothing makes me happier than the family I created,» he said.
