Saved by Active Prostate Support health screening event (From Southend Standard)
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Saved by Active Prostate Support health screening event
3:40pm Sunday 1st April 2012 in Echo News By Melissa Hills
Saved - Alan Osborn, who was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, with wife, Sylvia
A MAN owes his life to a one-off check up at a health event after a doctor discovered he had a potentially fatal heart condition.
Alan Osborn, 62, from Basildon, was persuaded by a friend to attend a drop-in roadshow and only had his chest checked because the other stalls had longer queues.
His aorta, which is the body’s largest artery, was swollen to 6cm.
Doctors said if the swelling, known as an aortic aneurysm, had increased to 10cm, it would have possibly ruptured and killed the grandfather-of-four within a year.
Alan, of Staceys Mount, Crays Hill, said: “One of my friends asked me to go along to support the Colchester Has Active Prostate Support charity, which put on the event at Colchester United’s home ground last Thursday.
“If he hadn’t asked me, I would have never known – it was by complete fluke I was there.
“I had noticed I had a little bulge in my chest, but I never thought about going to the doctor to get it checked.”
Alan only went for the chest ultrasound because the stand had no queue and there was a long queue to be checked for prostate cancer.
He said: “The specialist did the scan and a couple of minutes later asked if I knew I had an aortic aneurysm.
“At first I thought he was joking, but then I realised he was serious.
“After that, I told my friends I had to leave and go straight to the hospital, they couldn’t believe it. I have had a few appointments and will probably need an operation to have a stent in it to make it safe.”
Alan also wants to raise awareness of the charity behind the event and stress the importance of the over-sixties having regular health checks.
He added: “Colchester Has Active Prostate Support is a great charity – it’s by pure luck I am sitting here.
“I am so thankful to the doctor and my friend who took me to the event.”
For more information on the charity, visit www.chaps.uk.com
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