Butcher is saved by a pig (From Bury Times)

Butcher is saved by a pig

6:00am Thursday 18th March 2010

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BUTCHER Greg Hull is fit and healthy again — after his life was saved by a pig.

The 50-year-old from Holcombe Brook had open heart surgery during which a valve from a pig’s heart was implanted into his.

Mr Hull, who has won awards for his pork pies and sausages, said: “The doctors gave me a choice of a tissue valve or an artificial valve. I opted for the pig valve because, as a butcher, I’ve spent my life working with pigs so I thought it was only right that a pig should help me get better.”

Mr Hull, who owns Fraser’s butcher shop in Great Lever, Bolton, underwent a five and a half hour transplant operation after developing serious aortic valve disease.

Now fit and well — and back at work — Mr Hull said: “Heart surgery is amazing and the care that I have received from the NHS was fantastic.”

Mr Hull and wife Jeanette had just arrived in Portugal for a holiday last year when he first realised that he might have a problem.

He said: “I felt a bit off-colour and suddenly I was sick but I recovered and was fine for the rest of the holiday.”

But when the same thing happened when he was back at home, he called his doctor wo referred him to hospital.

While Mr Hull was off work for nine weeks, the shop was looked after by his staff.

He received hundreds of cards from his customers, wishing him a good recovery.

The valve transplant was pioneered in the 1960s. Now, more than 200,000 such operations are carried out each year across the world.

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