Every now and then you read a story that just oozes true inspiration.
This definitely applies to the story of the man who came up with a solution to fix his own heart problem, based on a simple idea from working in his own garden.
Tal Golesworthy’s ingenious solution to his severe health problem has not only given him a new lease of life, but others too.
His is a story of, to use a phrase: ‘thinking outside of the box’ and also of challenging what you have been told and not just sitting back and giving up.
Mr Golesworthy has something called Marfan syndrome, which meant the aorta into his heart was not as strong as it needed to be and was in danger of splitting open.
Traditional surgery to treat this condition would involve putting in a metal valve, leaving him on medication for the rest of his life and in a fairly fragile state.
He wondered why the aorta could not just be held together in the same way as you would fix a split hosepipe in the garden: by wrapping masking tape around it.
Mr Golesworthy persuaded surgeons to design and install a sleeve to go around his heart vessel and the operation was a huge success.
That was nine years ago and since then, not only is he leading a fulfilling life, but his solution has been used to help more than 30 other patients.
A full trial of the procedure is now needed in order for it to be made available to even more people who need it.