When wily pensioner Roy Thayers was told he had to have a life-saving heart op he couldn't afford he came up with a simple solution - write the hospital a dud cheque.
The sprightly but skint 77-year-old had been suffering heart pains when he was told by doctors: "You must have the valves leading to your heart unblocked or risk a fatal heart attack."
Faced with a nine month waiting list, his only hope was to have the life-or-death op privately (but still at an NHS hospital) at a cost of £6,500.
And by the time his cheque bounced, he had already undergone the vital surgery.
Mr Thayers, of Hounslow, west London, said: "I love my budgies, I love my dogs, I love my fishing and I'm not going to die for money."I've worked all my life and put my money into the system, why should I die for the sake of money? I'm not going to be a bloody hero. Life is a great thing and when you've got it you fight for it. I would have robbed the bank to get the money to save my life."
"When the doctor examined me he found two valves leading to my chest had become blocked. I was told it was very dangerous and could be fatal if I had a heart attack."
What are you going to do? Then I was told the doctor couldn't do the operation as there was a nine-month waiting list. He said there was one alternative - to have the operation done privately."
He told me it would cost £6,500, and I said 'I'll have it'.
I was in the hospital three days later."I gave them a cheque because I knew it wouldn't clear for three days and by that time the operation would be done. I knew it was going to bounce."When I got to hospital they gave me a cup of tea and biscuits and I said 'This is the life'."
The 100 minute-long coronary angioplasty op was carried out at Hammersmith Hospital in December 2003.
It was a success, and Mr Thayers left the hospital with no-one the wiser about his bouncing cheque. However it wasn't long before he started receiving letters for payment, first from the hospital and then from bailiffs demanding he pay his debts.
Mr Thayers said: "Then these debt collectors started hounding me for payment. They said 'You've got to start paying or we will take the furniture.'"I had to start off paying them £150 a month, but I only get £470 a month for my pension."
I was starving, I didn't have enough money to eat. I reduced it so now I pay them back at £25 a month. "But why should I pay for it? I don't owe anyone a bloody thing. It's out of order taking money from an old age pensioner."
Twice-married Mr Thayers nursed his first wife while she lay dying of cancer, and said there was no way he was going to let the lack of money stop him from enjoying the rest of his days.Mr Thayers, who lives alone in his Hounslow bungalow, believes the Government is at fault for allowing waiting lists to increase and not ensuring pensioners get access to life-saving treatment.
Retired painter and decorator Mr Thayers said he didn't want to ask for help from his two grown up children, Tony and Sarah, as he became estranged from them following a 'bad' divorce from his second wife, Veronica.
A hospital spokesman said: "We have done all we can to accomodate Mr Thayers' financial situation."Waiting lists for his kind of procedure have now been reduced to an average of around three months."
But Roy can enjoy his old age without looking over his shoulder for bailiffs - he'll be 99 by the time it's paid!
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