My father had a heart-valve replacement at 82. He had been putting it off for years. No longer able to climb the stairs at home, he reasoned, ‘What have I to lose?’ We didn’t expect him to survive. My sister and I had what we thought was our last conversation with him at 10 am and spent the next five hours gloomily wandering the streets of Cardiff, wondering what to do with all his stuff.

We came back to see him sat up in bed. Much influenced still by the drugs he complained, ‘Where the hell have you been?’ Happy to see him and feeling not just a little bit guilty for having mentally divided all his worldly goods.

The doctor was even pissed at him. After explaining, in some detail, how he was to take things very steadily for the next months, what drugs to take, signs to look out for, he asked if my father had any questions. ‘Yes, when do you think I will be fit enough to travel to China?’ (A lifelong dream)

A week later he was climbing the seven flights of stairs to the top of the hospital building. Mentally he was much sharper.

Six months later, he spent a month in China. He has since made four trips to New Zealand to visit my nephew. He has made countless trips to god-knows-where with his own sister.

I have met any number of people that ‘think old’. ‘Oh I’m 40 now so I should slow down’ and other such attitudes that in my view, will absolutely age you in a bad way.

Yes, my father took very good care of his health in his early years and it’s paid off. We don’t all end up hobbling around with a walking-frame and smelling of pee. If you expect to then you probably will. If you take care of your health and stay interested then you are even less likely to.

My dad is having a ball at 87.

Philip Jones
M.B.A. from University of Southampton (Graduated 1996)