Saturday's Letters: My gratitude to the dedicated surgeon who saved my life

Your obituary gave a wonderful insight into the life of a Leeds surgeon for whom many hundreds, if not thousands, of his ex-patients, of which I am one, owe a debt of gratitude difficult to express.

I was diagnosed with a serious congenital heart defect while at primary school in 1959 and was fortunate to be referred to Mr Wooler for surgery.

The introduction of the heart-lung machine at Leeds Infirmary meant that previously inoperable conditions could be operated on, despite the high risk which accompanied such open heart surgery in those pioneering years. My parents' consent to the operation was based on a 50/50 chance of survival, frightening odds for an operation on their only son who had presented no symptoms at this stage.

The operation took eight and a half hours and Mr Wooler, having spent a whole day performing the operation with his team, then spent the night at my bedside, monitoring my condition. There were no intensive care units in those days, just a small high-dependency children's surgical ward – ward 23A – which was situated in the Brotherton Wing.

In those days, the heart-lung machine was used just two days each week. I understand that these procedures are now carried out frequently and are considered almost routine to today's surgeons.

After making a full and rapid recovery, Mr Wooler told me in his later years, that five young patients including myself, were the first group to have benefited from the unique way he performed this particular operation.

I am fortunate to have maintained contact with Mr Wooler as an ex-patient and was often astonished how clearly and accurately he related details of my operation to me; I am particularly grateful that I saw him just two months before he died, some 50 years after our first meeting. His obituary summed up perfectly this special man in stating that he "won hearts as well as repaired them".

It was disappointing that although Mr Wooler enjoyed recognition on the world stage as an eminent leader in cardio thoracic surgery, he was never officially honoured. It seems that there is an unfair emphasis nowadays which places entertainment and sporting celebrities above those high achieving, skilled and dedicated personalities within medical fields; surely an imbalance to be redressed in future honours awards.

From: David Weir, Bardsey, Leeds.

Walkers at risk after grit failure

From: Alison Waite, Warrels Mount, Bramley, Leeds.

GIVEN the fact that the weather has been so closely scrutinised for the last few weeks, I would have thought that the "powers that be" would have taken the dangers for motorists and pedestrians into account in the early hours of Wednesday and gritted more roads after the rain had fallen and frozen.

In Bramley, we live in the middle of two hills. One hill I have to get down to get to the bus stop and if it is bad underfoot I simply get a taxi down the hill, get the bus to work and (hopefully) walk to the office in Leeds, a short distance. If the weather is worse than that, I have no choice but to get a taxi into Leeds from my home. But the ice covering the roads in my area was so bad that local taxi companies, quite rightly in my opinion, advised that they were only picking up passengers from main roads.

My son left the house on January 13 to go to school and before he had even got to the end of our road, fell on the ice and hurt his ribs. There was nowhere to go; the road was just as bad as the pavement. He tried again, but fell over on to the same place on his body. And he still had to walk down a hill to his bus stop.

For well over a week, I have watched pensioners slither and slide down a hill which leads to Bramley shopping centre and the Yorkshire Bank. Is it not too much to ask for local councils to throw a bit of grit onto pavements of such hills? Even just gritting one side of the hill for the ease of pedestrians would help.

Also, should the refuse collectors not be able to go about their normal business, why can't the local authority arrange for them to spread grit the old fashioned way (on foot) on badly affected minor roads?

From: Mrs EL Gough, Rose Bank, Huthwaite Lane, Thurgoland, Sheffield.

HOW much more can we, as a nation, take of this nanny state? Health and safety is set to ruin our lives. Huthwaite Lane, Thurgoland, has not received any deliveries of mail since Monday, January 4.

Nearby lanes and side roads within walking distance of our lane have received mail and the postbox situated at the bottom of Huthwaite has been emptied regularly. I telephoned Chapeltown sorting office and was informed that a risk assessment had been made and conditions were such that the post van could not venture up the lane. Could the postman not park his van and walk?

From: Barbara J Harrison, Parkside Avenue, Queensbury, Bradford.

QUEENSBURY has recently been portrayed on the television news showing the difficult weather conditions that are being experienced. I wish to thank the snow clearing team at Bradford Council for their immediate response to my request that Parkside Avenue be added to their list when I saw that the salting and snow clearing team were operating in the immediate area, but did not have Parkside Avenue on their worksheet.

I made a phone call to Bradford Council after speaking to members of the team and had confirmation that this particular avenue would be added to the worksheet. No sooner said than done. Thank you to the snow clearing team.

From: Terry Roberts, Bingley.

WHAT a national disgrace. The area is paralysed due to the lack of grit. All politicians should be ashamed for sitting in London and ignoring this national crisis. Get the salt and grit on the roads and pavements now...not sometime in the future.

Old people are trapped in their homes. Businesses are failing. Public services are crumbling. The public are paying the cost in broken limbs and politicians argue among themselves. You must act now.

From: Mrs June Wolfe, Sutherland Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax.

REGARDING the greedy people of Penistone, why did the TV cameras only show the ones who didn't get any bread etc. Instead of the greedy individual who, unbelievably, took 17 loaves, or the one who took many bags of salt. They should be ashamed of themselves.

From: Peter Holt, Aire Valley Drive, Bradley, Keighley.

OUR civil servants and MPs obviously have no idea what life in rural areas involves. Our councils have insufficient gritters to deal with snow and so have arranged for this essential task to be done by the only people who have appropriate vehicles to tow the spreaders – the farmers.

When we are in the grip of the worst winter for a good number of years, and our farmers are doing a magnificent job of clearing our local roads, why does some idiot in HM Revenue and Customs warn that only "tax-paid" diesel can be used to do this task?

From: Brian Cottingham, Millgates, York.

ASYLUM seekers were wrongly paid nearly 10m in benefits last year, this at a time when pensioners are struggling to make ends meet during this prolonged period of cold weather. Do heads roll in these governmental departments when such errors take place? I would think not.

We continually read of law breakers having to do community service. Why are these not deployed to clear our cities, towns etc of pavements of snow and ice, putting them to worthwhile public benefit? I presume health and safety would object in case they got cold hands. We live in a crazy country.

From: Dick Linkogel, Cowling Hill, West Riding.

EVEN if it has snowed a bit, how can Yorkshire succumb to a lack of grit?

From: Peter Lansdell, Cyprus Drive, Thackley, Bradford.

WITH all the salt being used, when will we see cod in the River Aire?

From: Ruthven Urquhart, High Hunsley, Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

AT least the so-called and ubiquitous "Chelsea tractors" now have a proper role in life!

Shoppers should support their local traders

From: Peter Whiteley, Low Biggins, Kirkby Lonsdale.

I READ Tim Farron MP's article with interest and agree wholeheartedly that something must be done to curb the power supermarkets have over UK farmers (Yorkshire Post, January 12). However, I fear that installing an ombudsman or the Lib Dems' "Regulator" would have very little effect.

Supermarkets will only react when their takings are hit hard.

It is the public who can make all the difference. Sadly, the vast majority have been lured over recent years to do all their food shopping at one or other of the major supermarkets; they have made it so convenient. But it does not take much effort to avoid buying fresh food from supermarkets altogether, and go back to shopping at local stores and farmers' markets etc. (It's also a lot more enjoyable)

Across the country, tens of thousands of small family-run food retailers have had to close purely because the public have flocked to supermarkets. Town and village streets have become nearly devoid of these shops, only to be replaced by charity shops and the like. Huddersfield is an excellent example of this.

So come on shoppers, support your local farmers and traders. Oh, and get your milk delivered free by your local milkman.

From: David Pickering, Gloucester Road, Stonegravels, Chesterfield.

I WAS amused reading the article by Tim Farron. I myself happen to be a fan of Tesco. Just recently they have opened a large store at Chesterfield. I can't wait until they open the dentist and the bank. Chesterfield was once a thriving market town renowned the country wide, but today is looking more and more like a ghost town.

Every week shops are being closed down due to the high increases in rent by the local council. The open market which used to be the jewel in the crown has followed the same fate. Parking rates are sky high and again our local council have implemented charges for Sunday parking. Is it any wonder the supermarkets are doing so well when the Lib Dems controlled-council is chasing everyone out of town?

Vital need for dignity in care

From: Kevin Maguire, Hanover Street, Batley.

IN his year as ambassador for the Government's dignity and care campaign Sir Michael Parkinson did not hold back when giving his views on the plight of elderly people in care (Yorkshire Post, January 12).

As in life itself, we must hold people in dignity. Those who live to a great age should be allowed the greatest care of all and if it needs the great son of Barnsley to tell off some people so be it.

Sir Michael's comments should be given the greatest consideration at the highest level. In order to go some way to rectify the situation, some carers of the elderly should change their attitude.

Loud complaint

From: A Gowland, Beverley High Road, Hull.

I WAS delighted to read a letter from AW Briglin (Yorkshire Post, January 6) about loud music in TV documentaries.

I agree with him wholeheartedly. I, too, sit with the "zapper" in my hand to control the rising crescendo of "silly music" as, for instance, the killer whales speed across the ocean waters, or the hunting lioness closes in on her prey, but then I miss the start of the dialogue. Infuriating.

This has marred many of the documentaries and the hard-won and skilful wildlife filming.

When will the producers of the programmes take heed of this problem which is at last being brought to public notice?

Nut warning

From: Sheila Hall, Prospect Close, Pye Nest, Halifax, West Yorkshire.

A READER asked if anybody else had had dire warnings on food packaging. I bought a packet of nuts the other week and was amazed to read on the back of it: "Caution – may contain nuts."

I should hope so.