A MAN whose life was saved with a ten-hour operation has donated £5,000 to the medical team which helped him.

Peter Millard, former president of the Leigh Rotary Club, was admitted to the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre in Basildon for a valve replacement procedure three and a half years ago.

When Samir Shah, divisional director for surgery at the centre, began to operate on Mr Millard at Southend Hospital he discovered his patient had a severely enlarged aorta, the major blood vessel descending from the heart through the abdomen.

Mr Shah cancelled the surgery to prepare foramammoth operation two days later to tackle both problems at once.

It was second blow for Mr Millard, who had been unaware of either condition.

He said: “I don’t remember much about that time. I was later told my heart itself is healthy, and that it was a defect I’d had from birth. I got to the age of 61 before they found it and had played semiprofessional football and Essex league cricket.”

Mr Millard was diagnosed with a heart murmur during a visit to his GP. He went on holiday before he could get the results of further tests. While he was away, he found it difficult to lie down, or climb stairs, without his breathing and heart rate being affected.

Mr Millard said: “We landed back in the UK at 1am and I was on the phone to NHS Direct, who advised me to go straight to hospital. I didn’t get home for another five weeks.”

He spent three weeks in Southend Hospital before arriving at the cardiothoracic centre for his surgery. Thanks to Mr Shah and the cardiac rehab team at Southend Hospital, he has made a full recovery.

He added: “It was very scary to be told in A&E that I had heart failure. Luckily I ended up in the care of Mr Shah, who is absolutely brilliant.

“The cardiothoracic centre is a cause close to many of the Leigh Rotary Club member’s hearts. We all have been treated or know someone who has been treated there. As president last year, I made it my chosen charity and we have shaken tins, held charity quizzes and dinners to raise the cash.”

Mr Millard, who has seven grandchildren, handed over a cheque for £5,060 to Mr Shah, who said: “Mr Millard is a rare type of patient because he was not what he seemed. When we got to theatre and I realised it was more complicated than we first thought, I decided to close and postpone the surgery because I wanted to do things the right way, to get Mr Millard better as quickly as possible.

“It is always nice to meet past patients fully recovered and it is very kind of him to make this generous donation on behalf of the Leigh Rotary Club.”