On the mend after surgery... at 103
SHE was born 34 years before the NHS was formed – and now Chrissie Hamill has championed the health service team that recently treated her.
At the age of 103, she could be the oldest person in Scotland to undergo the type of emergency abdominal surgery she required.
Now, having made a speedy recovery, she is back home in Fort William after her positive experience at the town’s Belford Hospital.
She praised consultant surgeon Sivaraman Gurunathan-Mani and the others who contributed to her care. Mrs Hamill said: ‘I am so grateful to Mr Gurunathan-Mani and his theatre staff for undertaking what, to me, considering my age, was a risky procedure.’
Born on June 10, 1914, before the start of the First World War, Mrs Hamill is the oldest person to have a surgical operation at the Belford.
Mr Gurunathan-Mani said: ‘She was in reasonably good health for her age, so it was a golden opportunity to help her, and that’s what we did. The operation took just over an hour and she has made a good recovery.’
An NHS Highland spokesman said: ‘Physiological factors come into play as the body ages and the body’s reserves diminish.
‘Fortunately, a patient’s physiological reserve age can differ from his or her chronological age. This is especially true if, like Chrissie, they look after themselves.’
Mrs Hamill lives independently in a sheltered housing complex but has a daughter-in-law and nephews nearby who visit regularly.