New lease of life for patient whose heart was cut in two
A FATHER has said he has been given a new lease of life after surgeons pulled his heart out of his body.
Sandy Cooper, 65, was seriously ill after he was struck down by a rare heart condition.
His only hope of survival was an unusual and very risky operation that involved his heart being taken from his body and sliced open.
Mr Cooper, from Elgin, said yesterday: "The night before, my surgeon said I could rip up the consent form and go home if I wanted. But I knew my condition would only get worse and that I had to go through with it. Now I've got a completely different life. I've been given a second chance."
The former tourist information officer first fell ill in June 2007.
He began to find it difficult to lie down because of coughing spasms and his lower limbs, stomach and thighs became swollen.
He was eventually diagnosed with a pericardial constriction, a rare complaint.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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