Man, 81, in epic charity drive after life-saving op

A grandfather who underwent innovative life-saving lung surgery is preparing to drive the length of the UK in his classic car for charity.

Dave Whittington was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension - a relatively rare disease where blood clots block the lung's arteries - in November 2020.

The 81-year-old, from Shepshed, Leicestershire, underwent a procedure that involved his heart being stopped and all the blood being drained from his body.

He said he had been through a "long and difficult" recovery but was now determined to challenge himself further by driving his 57-year-old MGC from John O'Groats to Land's End.

Mr Whittington and his wife Thelma, 79, will start the epic journey on Monday to say "a huge thank you" and raise money for two charities that helped him.

Mr Whittington, who has 10 grandchildren, underwent life-saving pulmonary endarterectomy surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

It is the only centre in the UK offering the procedure to remove the clots and scar material by stopping the patient's heart and draining all of the blood from their body.

To do this the team cools the body from 37C to 20C to prevent damage to the organs, including the brain.

The couple hope to raise awareness of the disease and the specialist surgery while raising money for the Royal Papworth Charity and Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA UK).

They are due to travel 1,178 miles from Scotland to Cornwall via a number of pulmonary hypertension hospital centres over four days.

Mr Whittington said: "My road to recovery has been long and at times difficult but I am determined to challenge myself further in aid of what I feel are two hugely worthwhile causes.

"This driving challenge is my way of saying a huge thank you from myself and my family.

"Plus, my bucket list is starting to get rusty so now is the time to do the road trip I've always wanted to do."

David Jenkins, a consultant in cardiothoracic surgery at the hospital, performed Mr Whittington's surgery.

He said: "It has been great to see Dave looking so well and be given the chance to look around his classic car.

"All the hospital staff involved in his treatment and care wish him and Thelma the best of luck."

Dr Iain Armstrong, chair of PHA UK, added: "We are hugely grateful to Dave and Thelma for supporting us with this challenge.

"It's a wonderful way to celebrate the success of Dave's surgery and the new lease of life it has provided, and we wish them all the best for their adventure."

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