99-Year-Old Rochester Man Walks Six Miles Every Day To Visit His Wife In The Hospital

A 99-year-old man, named Luther Younger, walks six miles round trip every day to visit his wife, Waverlee, in the hospital, reports CBS. After 55 years of marriage, Younger is still devoted to his wife, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor nine years ago and is currently hospitalized for pneumonia.

Younger walks three miles from his home, in rain, heat, or snow, to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. When Waverlee was first diagnosed, the doctors gave her five years to live. Since her diagnosis, she has been in and out of the hospital, sometimes for several months at a time. This hasn’t deterred her husband from visiting her every day, even if that means spending the night sleeping on the floor.

For the past three weeks, Younger has made the daily trek to the hospital, refusing to accept a ride from the couple’s daughter, Lutheta, or take a bus.

“I got a wife. I don’t want to wait on the bus. I want to go up there to see my wife,” he told CBS.

Although many people in the area now recognize Younger and offer him rides, he always declines. He explained that he enjoys the walk to clear his head and that he is used to doing physical exercise. He is a former Marine who fought in the Korean War and is proud of his physical strength and stamina.

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“People tell me to act my age — yeah, right. They’re jealous because I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, because it’s no good. I wouldn’t be here [if I did],” he said.

Younger also talked about his love for his wife.

“She is a beautiful lady and she treats me as a person is supposed to be… she made a man out of me. That’s why I love her, because she’s tough. She’s not weak… That’s the kind of woman I want… She wasn’t easy. She was the type of person, if you didn’t work, you got to go. And I had to work. That’s why I’m sticking with her, because if it hadn’t been for my wife, I wouldn’t have made it.”

The couple’s daughter says that she worries about her father walking so far every day, especially in the heat. However, she says that it keeps her dad alive and keeps him going. She has started a GoFundMe account to raise money to pay her mom’s hospital bills.

When Younger visits his wife, he sits with her and kisses her, happy to be with her even after all the years.

“That’s my cup of tea, and she’s sweet too,” he said of his wife.