Reaching the age of 100 is an impressive accomplishment - and one man is proving you can still work full time once you reach a century. Howard Tucker holds the Guinness World Record for oldest practising doctor, which was confirmed in February last year when he was 98 years and 231 days old.
The American neurologist continues to see patients twice a week and is a university lecturer, with his average day lasting from 9am to 6pm. Even catching Covid-19 shortly after his 100th birthday didn't stop him as he continued to teach students via Zoom - and when he was clear he even snuck out of the house to go to work at a hospital. So how does a person reach the landmark age of 100, while still working full time?
Howard was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1922 and lived with his parents and brother - with his family impacted by the Great Depression in 1929.
He was encouraged to follow his passion for music, playing the violin and upright bass, and imagines he would have played profesionally had he not gone on to be a doctor.
After studying medicine at The Ohio State University, Howard served in the US Navy during the Second World War and Korean War.
During his role as neurology instructor at The Neurological Institute of New York, he ended up falling in love and marrying one of his students, Sue, who he has four children with.
During his career, Howard hworked on many rare cases and diagnoses, including the "Sleeping Beauties" in 1960 where two young patients had been going in and out of coma for months.
Around 20 other physicians were unable to make a diagnosis before Howard and his associate evaluated the patients and concluded it was a case of barbiturate poisoning; proven correct with subsequent blood tests.
Another case saw Howard diagnose a patient who was one of the 5% who have multiple sclerosis (MS) without a lesion being visible on an MRI.
If that wasn't enough, the doctor earned a law degree while working full-time, passing the Ohio bar Exam at the age of 67.
Despite being in the 'at risk' category during the Covid pandemic, Howard continued to work through most of the outtbreak.
"I truly love what I do so going into the hospital to treat my patients was a no-brainer," he said. "As a physician, it is my responsibility to care for my patients."
Not only does he still sees patients twice a week at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, but he has become a TikTok sensation, posting vids where he plays baseball and tries a burrito for the first time.
On his 100th birthday this past July, Tucker received letters of congratulations from five of the six living U.S. presidents and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, plus a personal serenade from country music legend Dolly Parton.
"It bewilders me. I just can’t understand it," Tucker told Cleveland News about all the fuss. "People say to me, you’re doing pretty good for a hundred, and I say to myself how many 100-year-old people have they sampled? I don’t think I’ve ever met another 100-year-old person. I have only met myself."
Howard still exercises two miles a day on the treadmill or stationary bike four times a week and has been known to pull an all-nighter to prepare a new medical lecture for his students.
But he has been forced to make some changes as he grows older, giving up downhill skiing in favour of snowshoeing, but he refuses to stop driving.
So what's his secret? Howard puts it down to a family history of longevity that he has supported with good nutrition and a moderation of alcohol.
He also believes kindness and treating everyone with respect is hugely important too, and carries "no hate for any ethnic group, religious affiliation, or race."
The doctor also admits he has been lucky, as earlier this year he was getting rabies shots after being bitten by a bat.
He also fractured the second cervical vertebrae, the same that paralysed actor Christopher Reeve, while skiing in his 80s and was airlifited off a mountaintop after breaking his kneecap during a hike in his 70s.
Howard was also undergoing physical therapy after taking a tumble down a flight of stairs that necessitated spinal fusion surgery.
The centurion has also praised his wife and kids for being the main source of his happiness, but also believes that his work brings him fulfilment and a sense of purpose.
"[If I could] I would tell my teenage self to learn each day as if I were to live forever, and to live each day as if I were to die tomorrow."
When he's not working, Howard spends time with his wife, who is now 89, his four kids and 10 grandchildren.
He has never once contemplated retirement and has moved with the times as medicine and neurology have evolved over the decades.
"Many colleagues of mine simply retired because they did not want to deal with the changing technologies," he explained.
"For me, personally, I strive to master technology and embrace it in order to stay current. I refuse to let changes in technology hamper my ability to care for patients or teach medical residents."
As for what's next, Howard has no plans to start winding down any time soon.
"Oh, I expect I'll keep working until it's over with," he said while speaking about his eventual death.
"You know, life is a fatal disease."
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