Life Starts At Age 80

December 31, 2019, 3:00 PM, Tuesday
I'm here, nowhere, that is, San Juan Capistrano, CA,
with my lady,
My constant companion for fifty-four years.
My patient once told me, 
"Life starts at age 80."
As I'm aware next year tomorrow will bring
The number 80 when I calculate my RMD out of my IRA,
Somehow what my patient once told me
Made me curious and is suddenly appealing to me.
I said to myself,
Somehow I must find out how my life can restart at age 80.
I must find out. I said to myself.

It seems I'm well-equipped for the adventure 
which will start tomorrow, 2020.
To start with, I know I am in heaven
Or a paradise where
I'm still with the girl I once prayed to God
To let me live my entire life with and HE granted,
And where I'm surrounded by my children, 
grandchildren and friends.
So I know where I will start.
"Love brought Jesus to the earth."
Love brought me and my lady here where I stand,
The Garden of Eden.
So I know where my adventure starts.

It is from the deepest part of my heart.
It starts with a prayer out of my prayerful, pure heart.

Dear Lord,
".. I have everything I need.
You let me rest in fields of green grass.
You lead me to quiet pools of freshwater.
You give me new strength.
You guide me in the right path
As you have promised......"

So I'm excited for a change.
My life will restart at age 80 tomorrow.
 

Congratulation in advance, or Let's celebrate together!

We are at door-step or not too far from big "80"! and
let us feel not fear, but enjoy as a bonus for these new
chapters of our lives!

Let's live our lives as simple as possible and one day at a time! 

Happy New Year!  KJ

Let's do that, KJ.

A Happy and A Healthy New Year!

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A kind of embarrassing to tell you, Dr. Lee, but I am 80 and plus 1 more year old man since you all concern/worry(?) about getting close to the age 80!!!  Well, I feel no difference whether I am age 70 or 80 though physically less sustainable to go through same routine exercise at the gym- much more tired! - in these days.

But, Dr. Lee, there were many good things about becoming the age 80 so far to me!

First, I declared to my physicians’ group especially to my urologist to stop the follow up exam/test of my prostate known with precancerous lesions through the biopsies, since I am ready to take the natural course whatever it should happen through the rest of my life, period.

Second, I clarified on my decision on NO DNR (Do Not Resuscitation) whatsoever, period! And I also ordered for the cremation when I die! Since I am still on the road quite often, more than half of the year to travel around the world till lately, I have a good(?) chance to die somewhere else away from home, who knows.

Most of all, the kids are all left for their own lives and I have no more obligations on them, thank goodness! So, I feel free as a bird(?) finally, if I may exaggerate a bit, and am so happy that I don’t have to do something I don’t like but flatly refuse with no hesitation as the right for 80 years old man. Yes sirreeee!

Additional and new(?) benefit after I became age 80, if I may insist, is I started to claim my right (?), ordering the colleagues to speak louder- I refuse to use the hearing aids! – so that I could moderate the panel discussion properly and also demand to repeat the questions till I know clearly as an eighty-one years old man in these days.

Indeed, while I was in Chicago three weeks ago for Northwestern Vascular Symposium, the organizer, Mark Eskandari, Chairman of the Division cautioned the group that everyone should use the microphone and otherwise, BB Lee will come and yell at you, making the audience laugh.

So the aging is not that bad and I also started to get more business class travel honoring my age in these days!

Enjoy the aging to reach 80, no sweat!

Happy New Year!

BB Lee of ’63 Class

Thank you very much, Dr. Lee, for sharing your personal philosophy and

your exceptional busy professional life story, which is indeed most remarkable 

and you should be very proud of. Just reading your story would energize anybody 

including me even more so than those two people's stories I put on above.

You certainly inspire me in many ways just like, I'm sure, you have done to

so many others around the world in the past.

I will be 80 in coming July, and will certainly remember what you said whenever 

I face any challenges that may surprise me.

Please keep on showing good examples for us to follow in dealing with old age.

I’m very flattered you should say that, Dr. Lee!

Nothing special, nothing new to everyone over age 80!

No sweat, buddy! You will enjoy more since you don’t have to do the yard work/lawn mowing no more and no longer- we moved to small three-story town house to keep my leg exercise, up and down by the stairs, and balancing instead of condominium! -.

But one precaution!  Never, ever go near the nursing home or condominium for old folks, especially the assisted-living community, never! And, no funerals! It is psychologically bad for your mental health!

Another fun you can afford only after the retirement is to visit old buddies/comrades who are also all retired, anytime when you want and enjoy unlimited time together you couldn’t afford while you work, which I enjoy most- from the last year, I reduced my official activity/travel to almost half to save for such travel to visit our friends like Nicotia/Cyprus and also Lublijana/Slovenia planned for this year.-.

Indeed,  two years ago now, June 2018, when I got a call from my old colleague, Prof. Hugo Partsch from Vienna/Austria- I owed him for the foreword he wrote for my latest book- see the attachment-, who was born 7 months ahead of me on April, 1938, telling me that he decided to quit since he started to lose the voice suddenly with no warning. I cancelled the schedule here in the U.S. for the month – another good thing about the aging is you could excuse whatever you committed with the age/health later! - and packed immediately and left Washington three days later with my wife to visit him and his wife to Vienna to cheer them up. Believe me, I and my wife enjoyed Vienna so much for the first time although it was my fifth visits – all four previous ones were for the meeting and not for the private tour! - by his exceptional personal guide as a Viennese to show every corner of Vienna including the church he was baptized.  

So, it is not bad at all to have friends in same age so that you could share so many things including the old gossips in particular. Indeed, I made a surprise visit to Seoul on way home from Beijing last October to join to my Kyunggi HS buddies to make two day trip to Busan one of them hosted enjoying every minute of it. 

Call up your buddies whereever and give a surprise visit sharing the fun no younger one can afford!

All the best,
BB Lee

Advances and Controversies in CVM Management-9780367250126_Foreword.pdf

Advances and Controversies in CVM Management-9780367250126_Epilogue.pdf

Thank you so much for the valuable advices.

It is so amazing and unbelievable to see that

you have such bountiful courage and energy to do

the right things that are natural to your heart.

You are certainly an inspiration and a model example

for other seniors like me.

wish you all the best in New Year!