An Edinburgh grandad who suffered a heart attack was given 15 more years with his family thanks to a miracle operation.
Alex Landells passed away in 2019, though his family said his life would have been shorter if it wasn't for the help of the British Heart Foundation.
After taking unwell, Alex received an emergency triple heart bypass operation.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, his son John said: “My dad passed away four years ago on February 28, 2019, but about 15 years previous to that, he had a heart attack in the back garden actually.
“And, thankfully, due to the research at the British Heart Foundation, he got a triple bypass operation and he got another 15 years of a good, healthy life.
"We were really fortunate to have him and it's really down to the British Heart Foundation and obviously the research and science, at the time, got back to nearly having a full life and he started going back to the football in the garden so we’re really grateful for that. He was still going to football in his mid-eighties.
""For the British Heart Foundation this may be a routine for them, but obviously as a family, you do get concerned about it because it's quite a big operation for him at the time. We’ve got a lot to thank them for."
John’s mum, Betty, was always grateful for the help of the British Heart Foundation with her husband. She passed away in October, and John plans on running the Edinburgh Marathon for both of his parents.
He added: “They held a special place in my mum's heart as well because obviously what they did for my dad and the family were so grateful for the extra 15 years of his life.
“There's always people that have got heart problems so every penny helps for the British Heart Foundation for the research and all these types of heart conditions. It was the research from the British Heart Foundation that got Dad back up and running back then, and they do it for so many people.
“Things have moved on a lot in 15 years, what they can do now is fantastic with the funding that they get from us, kind of like people like myself and that. Every penny we can raise for the charity and their awareness would be really good.”
You can find out more about what the British Heart Foundation do here, and donate to John’s fundraiser here.
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