Police officer's debt to 'fantastic' Royal Papworth surgeons who saved his life

A police officer who underwent emergency heart surgery has walked the length of one of the UK's longest stretches of coastline to raise money for the hospital which saved his life.

Suffolk Police Constable Tom Barratt, 27, collapsed during an early morning gym session before a shift in March last year.

He was then rushed to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge where surgeons performed a nine-hour operation to repair a tear to the aorta - the major artery which carries blood out of the heart.

Following surgery, Mr Barratt spent a week in intensive care before eventually being discharged to a ward.

A year on from his terrifying ordeal, Mr Barratt and some of his colleagues walked the 60-mile section of Suffolk coastline between Felixstowe and Lowestoft as a way of saying thank you.

• Tom Barratt reflects on his life-saving surgery

To date, they have already raised more than £1,950 for the Royal Papworth and are hoping that figure will grow even more.

"They (the staff at Papworth) were absolutely fantastic. I received nothing but absolutely the best care possible," he told ITV News Anglia.

"It's a way of saying thank you and I think just showing them gratitude. The fact that they can then give to others the same life-saving treatment I received would be enough words said to be honest with you."

Reflecting on his medical episode, Mr Barratt said he knew something was wrong when he felt a "very sharp pain" in his chest while he was working out.

"The ambulance was called and it turned out I had an acute type A aortic dissection," he said.

"I also suffered a stroke during my time in the ICU unit. I can't put into words what the team did for me. They saved my life - you can't put a price on that."

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