Doris Hill has spent 104 years proving that age can be a lousy label.

Ask the Baltimore woman how she feels, and she does not reach for a number.

“Oh my God, I feel young,” Hill said. “I tell everybody, ‘Forget that 100.’ I feel like a 4-year-old child.”

That kind of answer may explain why Hill is still cooking for herself, working on puzzles and enjoying an occasional beer. It also helps explain why a hamburger with raw onion remains high on her list of favourite meals.

“A hamburger,” Hill said with a laugh. “Just put a raw onion because I hear a raw onion is good for you.”

Hill does not follow a restrictive diet or keep a long list of food rules. She eats what she likes, when she feels like it.

“I eat whatever I want. I have no rules. I eat when I’m ready,” she said.

For MedStar Health geriatrician Dr. George Hennawi, that is part of what makes Hill’s outlook worth hearing. Healthy aging, he said, cannot fit into one formula.

“I believe that every older person is different than the other person,” Hennawi said. “So, if I’m 92 and my cousin is 92, it doesn’t mean we’re going to age the same way, and it doesn’t mean we have the same needs.”

Some people may focus on staying active enough to enjoy ice cream and a football game. Others may care most about remaining independent. Hennawi said good care starts with listening to what each person values.

“I get folks that will say, ‘As long as I’m able to eat ice cream and watch the Ravens, I have no problem,’” Hennawi said. “And I have other folks that will say if I’m not able to do everything for myself, I don’t want my life to be prolonged.”

Hill’s Baltimore roots run deep. She and her late husband owned a shoe store on North Gay Street for 50 years, serving generations of customers. She is also the aunt of the late Reginald F. Lewis, the businessman and philanthropist whose name lives on at Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

But for years, being known as the oldest person in the room did not bring Hill much joy.

“I was not happy until I was 100 years old,” she said. “Even at 90, people would come to me and hug me and say, ‘Mrs. Hill, I understand you’re the oldest person at the centre.’”

The attention kept coming. Friends passed away. People talked about her age before they talked about anything else.

Then Hill began to see the people around her differently.

“When I realized how many friends I had, how many people loved me, and it wasn’t about my age, then I became happy,” Hill said.

That may be the real lesson in Hill’s long life. A raw onion may help. A puzzle can keep the mind busy. Faith can offer comfort.

“God is my first thought, but then after that is my health because my doctor told me it was not my age,” Hill said.

For Hill, the future does not need much planning either.

“Whatever comes up, I’m ready,” she said.

At 104, she is still feeling young — and making a strong case for letting the number mind its own business.

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