Golf enthusiast Marc Thompson is delighted to tell you about a very special shot he took – the one that won the match!
The fact that only eight weeks earlier 39-year-old Marc had undergone a complete hip replacement made his ‘rare triumph’ even sweeter.
Dad-of-two Marc, from Orford near Warrington, said: “I thought I was too young to have a new hip and I fought against it for a long time but, in the end, I had little option – it was either have the operation or basically stop doing any physical activities at all.
“After years of being sports mad I was in a situation where I couldn’t even play golf – in fact even walking was painful.”
Marc, a planning manager with Webhelp UK, damaged his hip as a teenager while playing rugby but continued to play football into his 30s. When the hip pain put an end to that he turned to cycling and golf to keep active
But as he moved into his 30s he found he was in constant pain, unable to sleep properly and forced to give up all sports. “It even got to the point where I struggled to put on my shoes and socks,” he said.
It was when he met Orthopaedic Consultant Surgeon Mr Nikhil Pradhan at Spire Cheshire Hospital in Warrington, that Marc became convinced that an hip operation was something that couldn’t wait any longer.
“I was worried I was too young but Mr Pradhan told me ‘if your joint is stopping you from doing the things you want to do then that is the right age for a replacement’ and I realised he was right.”
Mr Pradhan explained: “Marc was young to have a hip replacement but he has a young family and was determined to lead an active life. However, his symptoms were steadily getting worse and were preventing him from doing many of the things he loved.
“When I saw him towards the end of last year he had a painful, stiff left hip and his x-rays confirmed significant arthritis, which confirmed to me he needed a total hip replacement.
“I operated using a minimally invasive technique and the latest in hip implants which tend to support someone with a high activity level like Marc.
“He has made an excellent recovery and I am delighted to have helped him I am pleased to have helped Marc get back to his ‘normal’ life style.”
As for Marc - who plays his golf at different courses across Cheshire and North Wales of a 16 handicap - he is delighted at the speed of his recovery as well as his new golf swing.
“I feel much better swinging a golf club now as I'm less restricted and have no pain. I'm in a golf society with about 20 other guys and, amazingly, I won the first competition I played after my operation – everyone was just a surprised as I was!”
Away from the golf course Marc is also feeling the benefits as he can once again be ‘Action Dad’ as far as his two sons are concerned.
“My boys are 11 and 15 and for years it's been ‘I can't do this, I can't do that’ because of my hip. Now I can do the 'dad' things again like playing football - although they still run rings around me.
“My advice to people now would be to get the operation done as soon as possible. I now get eight hours unbroken sleep every night and I’m a happier person because of it. It was one of the best decisions I ever made and I just wish I’d done it several years ago.”