Oldham legend Frank salutes hospital team following last year's major heart surgery

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Seventy-two-year-old Oldhamer Frank Rothwell has never shirked from a challenge.

However, the successful businessman, Latics football club chairman, and Guinness World Record holder, who’s rowed solo across the Atlantic, sailed half way round the world, spent five weeks on a deserted island, completed 11 marathons, and raised more than £1million for charity… was faced with perhaps the biggest challenge of his life last year. 

Frank discovered he needed to undergo major heart surgery at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital to repair his damaged aorta, which was in danger of rupturing.

Frank said: “My aorta should have been about 25mm, but tests showed that it was 49mm in diameter and because my blood pressure was also high, Mr Omar Nawaytou, Consultant Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon, told me that surgery was needed urgently.

"Within four weeks of my clinic appointment, I was back in hospital for my operation.

“With my background in engineering, I like to know how things work.

"So, I did plenty of research about what I’d been told and to understand exactly how they were going to replace the damaged section of my aorta.

"I was fully aware of the risks of this type of surgery, but I also had my mind set on rowing the Atlantic for a second time.

"The only way I’d be able to do it, was by having the surgery and getting myself fit and healthy again.  

“I was in Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for nine days and the care that I received from all the team was absolutely brilliant.

"The staff were so knowledgeable and professional, and they were always on hand to check I was ok.

“It was also reassuring that my wife, Judith, was able to stay on site at the Robert Owen House for the duration of my treatment.

"It meant she didn’t have to drive back and forth from where we live in Oldham, and she was close by to help with my recovery and make sure that I was ok – it made a big difference to me.

“Since being discharged, my recovery has gone from strength and strength – probably quicker than I thought.

"I’ve been walking a hilly one-mile circuit from my house every day and each time, I can feel myself getting fitter and stronger.

"Not only does it mean I can continue one of my big passions in life, which is building my very own steam engine… but it also means I’m one step closer to my next ocean challenge.”

On December 12 this year, Frank plans to take on the 3,000-mile solo Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, an annual race known as ‘the world's toughest row’, which sees teams and individuals row from San Sebastian on La Gomera to Nelson's Dockyard on Antigua.

Frank added: “I’m so grateful to Mr Nawaytou and all the brilliant team at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital who gave me such good care and who have made it possible for me to fulfil this next big ambition.”

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