GARY SHARES HIS STORY

Every few weeks Gary drives to an airport near his primary residence in the Gulf Coast area of west-central Florida, climbs into his single-engine Cesssna four-seater and flies over to the Bahamas. He lands, hires a taxi to a marina and takes a boat ride out to a neighboring island where there are no paved roads and he needs a boat to get around. Gary has a get-away-from-the-crowd cottage out there, and just getting there and back requires this Eighties Something longtime Floridian to remember — and manage — the significant differences between driving a car, flying a plane and operating a boat.

“There’s a lot to keep in mind just shifting from one mode of transportation to another, just getting to where I’m going,” Gary chuckles. He embraces the challenge of his frequent Bahamas trips, which is actually just one example of how this ex-Navy man has never lost his love of travel. He recently made a trans-Atlantic trip home from Spain and has been firming up plans for a trip to France. And he especially savors his weekly drive to his girlfriend’s place on a an island just off Florida’s Gulf Coast. “We just walk the beach and enjoy our life together,” he says.

After a two-year hitch in the Navy back in the 1950s that included a lot of time in warm weather places like the Mediterranean, Gary returned home to Connecticut, shivered at the New England cold and decided to move south to Florida. That was 60 years ago now, and a lot of water has gone over the dam in his life, including having to deal with challenges posed by some health complications and also keep an eye on his blood sugar. He swallows a handful of various meds every day…a regimen that requires a sharp mind, a good memory and attention to detail.

Paying attention to the details has always been part of this longtime Prevagen user’s life. He is a dedicated reader of the New York Times, completes a crossword puzzle a day, devours books on a wide range of subjects, and loves to cook for family and friends. He credits Prevagen for maintaining a healthy mind and a good working memory. “My friends have noticed that I haven’t lost a lot as I’ve aged,” he says. “And my girlfriend began taking Prevagen right away, too.”

“You know, a lot of people have asked me how I have managed to keep up such a full and rewarding life,” Gary says. “I think the key is to keep an open mind to other cultures and the world around us.” Whether piloting his Cesssna out to the Bahamas, travelling to far-away ports of call, or just holding his girlfriend’s hand while walking on the sun-drenched Gulf Coast, Gary is certainly living the healthy, balanced and fulfilling life of the Prevageneration.