I wrote the first version of this. Portions were published first in an article at Ageist.com. Thanks David!

I am 69 years old. I was born on September 20th, 1955. I am 100% Italian (as much as anyone can be 100% anything). I bring this up because I suspect that my DNA is the kind that already has some good longevity built in. More on that later.

I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have spent most of my life on the Left Coast, but also some time in the Northeastern States. Lots of time in SoCal and Seattle. Some time in the Bay Area and Portland. I had a three year stint in Boise. I thought it might be my forever home, but I really got that wrong. So I moved to Scottsdale Arizona, in May of 2024. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Back to my desert roots! Scottsdale feels like a perfect place for me.

I have been married twice. And one almost decade long relationship. I am single and searching for a life partner. That is complicated by the fact that I plan to live to 150. Not everyone is down for that! I am sweet on a girl, and she doesn't completely hate the idea, LOL.

Being a Dad came late in life for me. I have a 22 year old son who is my best achievement in life. He’s a better human than I could ever hope to be. Depending on how the whole longevity thing turns out, I might want to start another family. Being a Dad is very challenging, but equally rewarding!

Everything changed for me when I turned 65.

• I left California. It’s a great State but there’s been so much change since I first experienced it in 1958, that I think I outgrew Cali.
• I ended a decade-long relationship. It was a very good one but sometimes things come to an end.
• I moved to Idaho. I thought it might be my next big move. Nope.
• My parents started experiencing poor health. That helped me consider my mortality.
• I gave a speech to a large group. Someone snapped an unflattering photo of me. I had to confront the fact that I was really overweight. Until then, I wouldn’t have thought that about myself.

In summary, I realized that I was in the midst of what some might call a mid-life crisis, at a time that even more people might say I was too old to be “mid-life.”. Hah!

The origins of my idea for extreme longevity (HyperAging) came from a few facts, and experiences… Our family is unusually long-lived. For example, Dad lived until 94 and Mom lived until 93 and a half. We might have a “bluezone” genetic code!

Neither of my parents optimized their health. I’m grateful for their amazing lives and how it shaped me, but I wished they’d taken better care of themselves. Even though they lived to an age that most people would say is very exceptional, I was convinced that if they had only taken better care of themselves, they might have lived to at least 100.

I wish I had known what I know now! Perhaps I could have helped them. They passed peacefully, but I knew that when it was my time, I wanted my end to come in a different way, a more complete way.

After considering how my parent's lives came to end. I decided I wanted something different. More healthy, and less loss of function and vitality at the end.

Initially, I decided that I just wanted to live longer, perhaps 120?. More than the 90 years that many of my ancestors enjoyed. Then, I started to explore the subject of longevity, and I became hooked on the idea of MUCH LONGER LIFE! I decided on 150 years of age or MORE. Importantly, I didn't want to live to 150, I wanted to THRIVE to 150. A big difference!

Much more than lifespan and healthspan…of course both of those. But importantly, I am concentrating on turning back the hands of time.

In summary, a lot of study, some epiphanies and the work of some amazing people, convinced me to up my goal, and to plan to live to 150! Why, because pretty much everyone says it’s impossible. And I like that.