The man who became a father at 92
Is bringing a child into the world when you’re already a great-grandparent really a good idea?
Can you imagine becoming a parent in your nineties? That’s what happened to Dr John Levin, a Melbourne anti-ageing medical specialist who recently went public with his extraordinary story.
Dr Levin, now 93, and his wife, Dr Yanying Lu, 37, welcomed their son, Gabby, in February 2024 – and they say they are open to having another child.
The couple, pictured above with Nova 100’s Jase Hawkins, Lauren Phillips, and Clint Stanaway, have been together since 2014.
However, the question of parenthood only came up during the pandemic when, according to a media report, Dr Lu “decided that if she lost her husband, she wanted a part of him in the form of a child”.
Their baby was conceived via IVF, which was successful at the first attempt.
The story began when Dr Levin, grieving the loss of his wife of 57 years, decided to learn Mandarin and met Dr Lu, a linguistics expert. Language lessons evolved into romance, and the couple married in Las Vegas in 2014.
Dr Levin – who has adult children, 10 grandchildren, and a great grandchild – has undergone stem cell therapy to improve his health and hopes to live long enough to see his new son reach adulthood.
While their case is an extreme example, it reflects a broader trend in the developed world. Statistics from the United States National Centre for Health Statistics show that birth rates among parents aged 40 and older have surpassed those of teenagers for the first time in American history.
Advances in fertility treatments, changing social norms, and increased life expectancy have made parenthood later in life more feasible.
Older parents can bring emotional maturity, financial stability, and life experience to child-rearing. Studies suggest that children of older parents may benefit from more secure and nurturing environments.
However, there are also challenges. Medical risks associated with advanced parental age include increased chances of pregnancy complications and genetic disorders.
Also, there are limits to what older people can do, so children may miss out on rites of passage such as kicking a football around the backyard with their parents.
Socially, children may face stigma or confusion when their parents are mistaken for their grandparents.
And then there’s the financial aspect: raising a child is not cheap, and many older parents are on fixed incomes that might not stretch to feeding an extra mouth, let alone clothing and educating them.
On the upside, the story of Dr Levin and Dr Lu highlights the emotional depth and resilience that can characterise so-called “May-December” relationships.
But, given Dr Levin is already 10 years older than the average Australian male life expectancy, it puts a lot of pressure on him to remain healthy so he can continue to provide for his young family.
However, he has said it’s his aim to live to at least 105, by which time Gabby would be in his teens.
Dr Levin’s top tip for staying fit in old age? “Try to keep your heart healthy,” he told Nova 100’s Jase and Lauren Show. “Six out of every 10 people get heart disease... and three or four out of 10 die from it.”
And his attitude towards all the fuss about his situation? Well, he reckons he’s not even the most famous member of his own family.
One of his grandchildren, Sophia Levin, is a food critic and judge on the television cooking show, MasterChef.
And in case you are wondering, Dr Lu says her husband is “an old-fashioned dad” who does not change nappies.
She is also aware that some people are judging them over their age gap, but chooses to ignore that and look on the bright side.
“If our story can put a smile on people’s faces, then we’ve achieved our purpose," Dr Lu said.
Related reading: News.com.au, Nova 100, Fox 5, Ming Medical, Nine Honey
