Peterborough grandfather’s thanks to surgeon after undergoing pioneering lung operation

A Peterborough grandfather who underwent pioneering surgery to remove a cancerous lung has spoken of his admiration for the team which saved his life.

Ray Page (76) was told he might not see Christmas after being diagnosed with stage three cancer - which later turned into stag four - in August last year.

MORE: Retired Peterborough milkman in world first operation to remove lung through 5cm cut

But after being the first person in the world to undergo incredible surgery at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, which saw experts remove his entire right lung through a 5cm cut, he is now looking forward to spending more time with his eight grandchildren and wife Jo.

Retired milkman Ray, from Orton Goldhay, said: “We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last year, and we had a bit of a do for it, because we all thought I wouldn’t be here for Christmas.

“In June I was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and I had an operation for that in July.

“There were different tests after that, and they noted something out of the ordinary on my lung. There were a few more tests, and they said it was stage three cancer. After the lung was removed, they found it was stage four.

“I was taken into hospital on October 31 last year, and had the operation on November 1.

“I remember them saying they will try it the new way, but if that doesn’t work, they will try the old way. But I didn’t know I would be the first in the world to have the operation until it had been done.

“It was nerve wracking for everyone, but when it worked, they were all over the moon.”

During the three-hour operation, surgical teams made an incision between the abdominal muscles, removing the entire lung through the small cut of approximately 5 centimetres.

Meanwhile, the anaesthetic team controlled the pain through a non-intubated method, meaning the operation was tubeless and the patient kept spontaneously breathing on a gaseous mixture of oxygen, air and sevoflurane, free of opioids.

Ray said: “The team are fantastic. The surgeon, Guiseppe Aresu, was a lovely man.

“The hospital itself was fantastic as well - I could not fault it. The food was great, the hospitality from the staff was amazing.”

Ray was in hospital for just a week before being discharged, and while he is still on a course of chemotherapy, he said it was just a precuation.

He said: “I can do almost everything I could before. I can’t carry heavy shopping, are do the hoovering, but I can do pretty much everything else. I get a bit out of breath sometimes, but other than that, I am fighting fit.”