I started to get angina in the later part of my 79th year. After it persisted I was sent for various tests, including an angiogram, which showed that two of my coronary arteries were blocked. I was put on the waiting list for surgery, triple bypass and a new aortic valve, and was admitted to hospital two weeks later. The surgeon offered me a choice of valves - a metallic one which I would hear clicking, or a pig's one which was silent and would last for ten years at least. I asked him what would happen if it stopped functioning after ten years and he said, "Oh, we would replace it," - at the age of 90!

The operation lasted four and a half hours and I woke up in intensive care. My wife and daughter came to see me shortly after I regained consciousness but I don't remember that. The next day I was transferred to a ward and I felt pretty fit. I was allowed up the next day and was discharged eight days after my operation. The whole staff were wonderful, especially the nurse who looked after me in intensive care (she came to see me twice after I was transferred to the ward).

I was given a new lease of life at an age that would be considered a good innings by most people. Without the operation I would have got slowly less capable and would have had a couple of years to live at best. I am now 89. Soon I may be faced with the decision of whether to replace the aortic valve again. Since my operation I have been quite well. I still look after my large hillside garden and this year I am going on holiday to Switzerland. However, in cold weather and after a meal I get a little breathless when walking. Also other symptoms of ageing are beginning to trouble me, my activity is restricted by arthritis of my right hip and my left foot. Would I go through it again? I don't know.

Image: An angiogram of a heart with a large blockage in an artery. SPL

The views and opinions expressed by writers herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Wellcome Trust.