Fatherhood | David Fajgenbaum on Purpose and Living in Overtime

After surviving multiple near-death experiences from Castleman disease, Dr. David Fajgenbaum emerged with a profoundly different perspective on life—and on what it means to make the most of the time we are given.A physician-scientist, founder of Every Cure, and relentless advocate for drug repurposing, David has devoted his life to turning personal adversity into purpose. But his most important role exists beyond the laboratory and the public stage: being a father.In this conversation with Gordon LaForge, David reflects on how facing mortality has shaped the way he thinks about fatherhood, family, ambition, and presence. He shares what his children have taught him about perspective, how the experience of illness changed his definition of success, and why living with an awareness that time is finite can make us more intentional with the people who matter most.It is a conversation about purpose—not simply as something we pursue, but as something we model for our children. About resilience without romanticizing hardship. And about the responsibility to use the time we have, however much or little it may be, to make a difference.