Two Stents and a Supermarket Sweep

August 10, 2025

Before last week, I had a little known party trick. I would walk up a flight of stairs and sound like a 1970s vacuum cleaner with a sock stuck in the pipe. Stylish? No. Impressive? No, not really.

Turns out my heart had been running its own low-budget plumbing disaster. One of my arteries had a traffic jam that would put Monday morning commuters to shame. My blood was queuing up like it was waiting for concert tickets in the 70s.

Enter The Stent Squad.
These tiny metal marvels are basically scaffolding for your arteries. The surgeon slides them in, props things open, and voilà, the traffic’s flowing smoother than an empty motorway on Christmas morning.

I now have two shiny stents which, for the record, I’ve started referring to as my twin turbo boosters. Before, I’d get breathless if I bent over to tie my shoelaces. Now I’m half tempted to start jogging. Don't quote me on that, I said half so let’s not get carried away.

You can see on the picture above a small dark scab on the wrist. That's where the surgeon went in and did his keyhole surgery,

Health Benefits (as experienced by me):

Breathing without drama: Turns out oxygen is a fantastic energy source when you can actually get enough of it.
Walking faster than a sleepy snail: I can now overtake pensioners doing a supermarket sweep without breaking a sweat.
Energy for everything: Housework, gardening, even dancing in the kitchen to ‘70s hits… all possible without feeling like I’ve just run a marathon.
New party fact: I can tell people I’m part machine now. Cyborg chic.

Having stents fitted is like going from dial-up internet to fibre optic. Same heart, better connection. And the best part? I no longer sound like an asthmatic walrus halfway up the stairs.

So here’s to modern medicine, tiny tubes of hope, and the joy of breathing without needing a sit-down afterwards.

Help Me to Publish My Books & Fight Cancer.

At 71, I’ve already published 11 novels despite cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Now I have 21 more worlds waiting to be written.

Through Brittle Media Ltd, we’ll publish these stories and support others by donating 10% of profits to cancer charities.

Join us and be part of the story: https://gofund.me/ef873264