A 100-year-old man is still walking a mile most days and is planning his next week-long fishing trips five years after undergoing a heart procedure at Castle Hill Hospital.
Peter Byers were referred to the Cardiology team at Castle Hill Hospital in November 2020 after his usual activities of fishing and walking started becoming more difficult.
Tests showed he had severe aortic stenosis – a heart condition causing chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness because of a narrowing of the aortic valve, affecting blood flow.
Then aged 95, open heart surgery under general anaesthetic was considered too risky for Mr Byers. However, he was suitable for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), a minimally invasive heart procedure, performed under local anaesthetic, and underwent the procedure in 2021 when a new aortic valve was fitted within the narrowed valve.
Now, Mr Byers, who walks a mile from his home in Pocklington into the town most days, is planning his sixth week-long fishing trip of the year after he was given another clean bill of health by the TAVI team following his annual review.
“I’d been having some problems so they checked me out, told me I needed it so I had it,” Mr Byers said. “I wasn’t worried at all. If I need a thing, I accept it. It’s all part of life.”
Mr Byers, a father-of-five whose wife died 20 years ago, grew up in London, was evacuated to Kings Langley in Hertfordshire at the start of World War Two then moved to King’s Lynn in Norfolk after winning a scholarship to a technical college.
He joined the Royal Navy during the war, left in 1946, but joined the Royal Corps of Signals, also known as the Royal Signals, in 1947. He spent 33 years with the specialist unit responsible for battlefield communications then took a part-time job on Pocklington Industrial Estate before retiring.
“I’ve been around the world so I can’t complain,” Mr Byers said. “I’ve got an electric scooter but I refuse to use it because I’m determined to keep on my legs. People say don’t walk too far but I walk about a mile into town and I can sit down and have a cup of coffee and sit and watch the cars go by.
“I feel quite good in my upper body and I’ve had no problems since the operation. My legs give me a bit of a problem. They said they couldn’t do anything about that so you’ve just to make your life around what’s happening.
“I’ve no complaints about my life. I’d a lovely wife who looked after me and five children, although one son died of cancer in America. I’ve got another son and three daughters who all look after me.”
Consultant Intervention Cardiologist Dr Manish Ramlall, Clinical Director for Cardiac and Vascular Surgery at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said a patient’s age doesn’t need to be a barrier to treatment.
He said: “A patient’s age is just one of the many factors we look at when considering the best course of treatment for them.
“However, Mr Byers is a very well man, leading a very active life, and, for him, age is very much just a number.”
Mr Byers underwent TAVI in early 2021 and, after an initial review weeks after the procedure, now only comes to Castle Hill once a year for an annual check-up. He’s just had his latest review and has been given another clean bill of health.
Dr Ramlall said: “It is wonderful to see Mr Byers continuing to do so well five years after his procedure. At 100, he remains remarkably active and is still enjoying his walking and fishing.”