Relationships4 min(s) read
Doctor reveals one major wish after becoming a father again at 92 with 36-year-old wife
A doctor has revealed his one major wish after becoming a father again at 92 with his 36-year-old wife.
In February 2024, Melbourne doctor John Levin and his wife, Dr Yanying Lu, welcomed their son, Gabby, who was conceived via IVF using donor sperm, with Lu becoming pregnant on their first attempt.
Speaking on Nova’s Jase and Lauren, Levin, now 93, said holding his newborn for the first time was “unbelievable," and shared that the pair is already thinking of having another baby.
Gabby is Levin’s third son and his first child with Lu. The birth came just five months before the death of Levin’s eldest son, Greg, 65, who died from motor neuron disease.
A Pandemic Reflection Sparks a Life-Changing Decision
The couple hadn’t initially planned to have children together, but during Melbourne’s Covid-19 lockdowns, Lu, now 37, said the idea took root after she did some “soul searching” and thought about where she wanted her life to be. She decided that if her husband died, she wanted a part of him in the form of a child.
Lu, who is converting to Judaism, said she felt “very lucky” to conceive on the first try, acknowledging how difficult the process can be for others. “One of my mothers' group took 14 cycles to produce her daughter,” she said, per Daily Mail.
How The Couple Met
The couple’s unlikely relationship began after the death of Levin’s first wife, Veronica, whom he had been married to for 57 years.
Grieving and looking for a new challenge, Levin decided to learn Mandarin. His teacher was Lu. “He was a terrible student,” she said, per Herald Sun. “After the third lesson, I told him to stop. I didn’t want to rip him off!”
But Levin kept finding excuses to see her, and soon asked her to dinner. The two quickly became inseparable and married in Las Vegas in 2014.
The couple has opened up about their age gap, revealing that it often confuses strangers. “People think at first that he is Johnny's grandson, or sometimes great-grandson. When we explain, they can’t contain their surprise. But for us, it’s about the choices that make us happy. We can’t control how other people feel," Lu said.
Lu pushed back against any suggestions of her marrying Levin for financial motives, as he was "bankrupt" when she met him. She also added that should she have to parent alone one day, she’s ready. “With modern families these days, you see different types of families and they make it work. If other people can make it work, so can I.”
Gabby is also surrounded by a supportive extended family. Levin has two surviving children from his first marriage - Ashley, 62, and Samantha, 60 - as well as ten grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and Lu’s mother, who helps care for the baby.
A Doctor Who’s Lived His Own Advice
Dr Levin has long practiced what he preaches. A specialist in healthy aging, he’s spent nearly 20 years advising patients on staying fit after 60. He walks to work, goes to the gym twice a week, avoids alcohol and smoking, and follows a primarily vegetarian diet - with no meals before noon.
He’s also been injecting human growth hormone for 30 years. Now, he’s setting goals not just for his health, but for Gabby’s future.
“Of course, being there for his 21st is a goal,” said Levin - a milestone that would make him 113. Another wish? To stand beside Gabby for his bar mitzvah and read the Torah with him. “It’s such an important moment. I want to guide him through it.”
Levin admitted he had forgotten much of what early parenting involved, having last had a newborn in his 20s. As Lu joked that he’s a very "old-fashioned dad" and doesn't "change nappies.”
But age aside, they say what matters most is the joy Gabby has brought into their lives and the hope of maybe adding to their family.