Story
I joined the Army in January 1970 as a boy soldier at the age of fifteen and a half. I served almost 15 years and did 4 tours of Northern Ireland. After leaving the Army in 1984 I became an HGV 1 truck driver driving lorries all over the UK and Europe, which I did for about 25 years. Fifteen years ago doctors found I had 3 serious heart defects which resulted in losing my HGV Licence and my job, about 8 years ago I was fitted with a pacemaker/defibrillator and had to take 4 tablets per day. Everything was going fine until last Easter when I had two heart attacks the second being a cardiac arrest and I was technically dead for 10 seconds until my defibrillator revived me by giving me a shock. The following day I was fitted with a cardiac stent and now take 10 tablets per day. Since then I have suffered numerous heart failure events causing more damage to my heart each time. One of my consultants (Cardio Electrophysiologist) had recommended that I have an operation on my heart as soon as possible. He has advised me that were I to go on the NHS waiting list I would need to wait at least a year or possibly longer for this operation. Unfortunately, in the meantime one of the tablets I need to take is so potent it is doing damage to other parts of my body and I can only stay on this drug for a maximum of three years. My consultant has told me that the longer I wait for this operation the greater the chance of more damage being done to my heart. Therefore I require this operation as soon as possible. He also advised that if I take the NHS route he would predict that I would only have approximately five years to live, but were I to go private to obtain this operation at a cost of £15,000 my life expectancy would be ten years or more. Being Ex military I have approached the British Legion and other Military charities and they have all turned me down as they state that they do not fund private Medical expenses. I don't expect to be able to raise the total amount, but anything toward this expense would really help. Thanking you in anticipation.
Below is a link to an article which appeared in the Times Newspaper on Monday October 28th 2019. I think it is very telling. I would suggest that if any of you have relative's or friends who are Veterans then tell them not to expect much in the way of help if they were to fall ill.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/armed-forces-charities-sit-on-reserves-of-275-million-5r9dgb0gt