A NORTHWICH man took a 'leap of faith' as he became a hospital’s first open-heart surgery patient.
David Ballantine, 56, underwent a double coronary artery bypass at Spire Manchester Hospital after being diagnosed with coronary artery disease.
It comes after the hospital splashed £2.3 million on new equipment and facilities.
David said: “I know I showed a leap of faith being the first, but the genuine care and dedication shown by my consultant cardiac surgeon and his incredible team at Spire Manchester Hospital put me at ease and gave me confidence to believe that everything was going to be alright.
"They saved my life. I get quite emotional talking about it now.
"The team at Spire are second to none."
ALSO READ: Woman born without womb given fresh hope of one day having children of her own
David, who moved to Northwich seven years ago, had struggled with his weight since his early 30s and put on some weight during the Covid lockdown.
After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes he adopted a low refined sugar diet and began cycling to work to help lose weight and control his blood sugar.
It was during one of his daily commutes he first felt strange and needed to stop to catch his breath.
David booked a consultation with a cardiologist at Spire Cheshire Hospital in Warrington and after referrals for an echocardiogram, a CT scan and an angiogram, he was diagnosed with coronary artery disease.
"It was devastating," said David on the moment he was diagnosed.
He is now urging others not to wait until it's too late to seek help.
"I was getting shoulder pain and back pain, I thought I was just getting old," he said.
"Even in the waiting room before getting my test results back I wondered if I was wasting people's time.
"And then five minutes later I got the diagnosis.
"Please, go and get yourself tested."
Paul Modi, a consultant cardiac surgeon at Spire Manchester, advised David the best option was open-heart surgery, which he underwent on July 28.
David, a reliability and verification manager, was back home with his wife Joanne on August 3 and is now well on his way to a full recovery and is hoping to return to work next month.
He added: "I'm still in a fair bit of pain but managing it through painkillers.
"It's not an easy operation and it isn’t an easy recovery.
"I also have to thank Danebridge Medical Centre for their support since the surgery."
Mr Modi said: “I am delighted that David – our very first cardiac patient at Spire Manchester Hospital – is doing very well at home following uncomplicated surgery and recovery in our hospital.
“David has been a fantastic patient and the team here has worked well to care and support him.
“This has been a brilliant start to our cardiac surgery programme.”
There is currently hundreds of people waiting for cardiac surgery in the North West of England.
As such, Spire Healthcare decided to invest in the latest equipment, technology, and expertise.
Spire Manchester’s new cardiac service is due to care for up to 200 people per year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here