![\"doctor](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/230217-Jaeger-MrT-aging-100225047-1500x1000-1-300x200.jpg\")
\u201cHe has a perpetually positive outlook on life,\u201d Jaeger says. \u201cMr. Tessitore\u2019s overall health is excellent. He is one of the healthiest, most vibrant patients in my entire practice. One of the most impressive goals he shared when we initially met was that he tries to walk 10,000 steps daily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep my mind active,\u201d Tessitore says. \u201cI love sports, so I watch a lot of sports on TV. But I not only watch them, if I\u2019m watching baseball, I become the manager, I become the umpire, I yell at the television. I just feel that it creates an excitement in you if you have something to cheer about.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he\u2019s been a New York Yankees fan since he was 10, which takes him back to before Micky Mantle, before Joe DiMaggio, to when Lou Gehrig was still playing. All but one of the Yankees\u2019 27 World Series titles have come during Tessitore\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n
A Navy veteran who served in World War II, Tessitore lives at the Village at Buckland Court in South Windsor, with his daughter and son-in-law in neighboring Manchester.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also get involved in word games at my assisted living facility, and try to participate in what\u2019s going on,\u201d he says. \u201cI try to learn more about the people with whom I reside, and try to make them laugh too. They need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Tessitore truly is the definition of successful aging,\u201d Jaeger says. \u201cHe has avoided major medical illnesses and disability, has high cognitive and physical function, and continues to be actively engaged in life. He has had a life rich in experience and is a captivating conversationalist when he generously shares his life story. We all could learn a lot from him!\u201d<\/p>\n
When Tessitore moved to Connecticut, he became Jaeger\u2019s patient on the recommendation of Dr. Benjamin Ristau<\/a>, a urologic surgeon who recently had joined the UConn Health faculty. He\u2019s also Tessitore\u2019s grandson.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is of the great privileges of my life to have had my grandfather around for so long,\u201d Ristau says. \u201cHe is the epitome of optimism and vitality, even at the age of 98! Whether chatting about a ballgame or celebrating family milestones, he has always been a cornerstone of our family. I am a better person for knowing him, and I am truly grateful to witness the example of healthy aging that he lives.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"students](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/230217-MrT-rotunda-wide-094408692-1500x1000-1-1024x270.jpg\")