The Engineer Who Fixed His Own Heart and Others Too
27th November 2013
As the heart pumps blood around the body, the aorta – the main vessel from the heart – stretches to accommodate the blood-flow. In most people it relaxes back to normal size, but for people with Marfan syndrome it can fail to recover, gradually enlarging over time.
From an early age, Mr Golesworthy was fully aware he was living with the risk his aorta could one day stretch so much it would burst. And during a regular check-up in 2000, he was told the time had come to consider pre-emptive surgery.