Local patient shows his gratitude by presenting hero surgeon with London Marathon medal

In 2021, Steve Haley from Leeds slipped on a frozen bank whilst walking his dog, resulting in a life altering tear to four quad muscles in his left leg. The extensivity of the injury meant that the treatment simply couldn’t wait. Steve decided to use his private health insurance, and an appointment was arranged to see Mr Sanjeev Anand, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital just a few days later. Being a keen and active runner, Steve was heartbroken to find that due to the initial damage sustained, he would more than likely never run again.

After a complex yet extremely successful reconstructive operation, Steve began an extensive course of physiotherapy rehabilitation, including sessions on the AlterG treadmill. His motivation meant that he would eventually begin jogging again. On the 21 April 2024, Steve Haley completed the TCS London Marathon in just 3 hours and 58 minutes – An astonishing achievement he could’ve only dreamt of just three years earlier.

In June 2024, Steve and his family attended Spire Leeds Hospital to surprise Mr Anand in clinic. As a token of gratitude for the care received, Steve presented Mr Anand with his TCS London Marathon medal.

Steve Haley said “I wanted to thank Mr Anand and present him with my marathon medal as a token of my gratitude. He had no idea that this was my intention and I thought it would be lovely to surprise him. Thanks to the brilliant work of Mr Anand and his team, together with the fantastic physios at Spire Leeds, I have made a full recovery. Throughout the whole process from start to finish the team have been wonderful.”

After the emotional reunion, Mr Sanjeev Anand said “Steve was a really motivated patient and was doing well after surgery. I hadn't seen him for some time so I was surprised to see him in clinic with his family. I was completely flabbergasted when he presented his London Marathon medal, thanking me for the surgery and the care given to him. It was like an ambush TV programme!”

“I am completely overwhelmed by his gesture and so grateful for his generosity in giving me credit for his hard work in recovering from his injury. I consider it a privilege when patients put their faith in me to allow me to operate on them. Working in healthcare can be tough but moments like this, when we feel that we are making a positive difference to someone's life, make it all worthwhile.”