Phil has been an active and healthy person all his life. As Secretary of a local Charity in Caterham, the Caterham Overseas Aid Trust, he has been running and cycling for different charities for many years, conquered the London Marathon 5 times and has competed in the London to Brighton Bike Ride for more than 10 consecutive years, and even started his own running group "Chaldon Creakers". All of a sudden, out of the blue, he was left being unable to run.
After his 60th Birthday bash, Phil who was training for the London Marathon at the time, started to feel a severe pain in his knee.
“I never had any problems with my knee before and always hoped that I would be spared. So I was quite surprised when the pain started immediately after my birthday.”
His physiotherapist, whom he had consulted in the run up to the London Marathon, recommended stopping training so the knee could recover from the strain of training.
“I was gutted that I had to stop training for what would have been my 6th London Marathon, but the pain in my knee was still there and after two weeks it started to feel strange so I went to Spire Gatwick Park Hospital to see Mr George Tselentakis, who did such a great job on my son’s girlfriend’s knee after a bad riding accident.”
Phil had an arthroscopy in May last year to fix the tears in his right knee at Spire Gatwick Park Hospital , but he couldn’t take up running again.
“Mr Tselentakis did a great job and fully understood my needs and concerns as a sporty person. I had great trust in him from the start, not just because he did such a great job on my son’s girlfriend’s knee, but also because he was so professional and caring from the start.”
Phil was told by Mr Tselentakis that despite the successful surgery he wouldn’t be able to take up running again, a devastating message for somebody who has been running all the big races - a way of life really. But news like that won’t bring a true sportsman down, so Phil decided to get his bike back out of the shed, which seemed like the natural thing to do after he cycled 2000 miles in 2000 – a personal challenge he had set himself to celebrate the new millennium.
“ I had already signed up to the London-Brighton Bike Ride before I had the arthroscopy. I was doing it for the BHF, so I didn’t want to let them or me down. The bike ride was only 4 weeks after my surgery, but Mr Tselentakis said cycling would be ok, although I don't think he meant such a long ride and not that close to the surgery! “
Since then Phil has signed up to yet more bike rides. He will do the London to Brighton Ride again this year for the BHF, the London Bikeathon for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, and plans to take part in the Wessex 100 in September.