It was 1972, and I was 21 years old when I was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, a very serious heart condition.
I was told I needed major surgery, but there was only a 50:50 chance I’d pull through. It was a huge operation, at the National Heart Hospital in London, and I went from being a sporty young man to someone who could hardly sit up.
Most of the other patients were lying around saying they’d never be the same again, but the guy in the next bed was different. He was a bookie from Stevenage; he realised that, to get over something like this, you have to draw on your own resources.
So the two of us got out of bed and decided we’d be as normal as possible. One day we staggered out to the pub: we’d just ordered two pints when a table of doctors noticed us, and we were marched back to the ward.
Forty-six years later I still have check-ups, but I’m very fit and healthy. I spent a career teaching sports. Life is all about attitude, and that’s what I learned from the guy in the next bed – and I’ve never looked back.
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