{"id":42978,"date":"2025-04-23T05:08:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T05:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/42978\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T05:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T05:08:12","slug":"i-had-a-life-saving-heart-operation-after-top-doctor-confused-me-with-arsenal-football-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/42978\/","title":{"rendered":"I had a life-saving heart operation after top doctor confused me with Arsenal football legend"},"content":{"rendered":"

A HOSPITAL patient called Lee Dixon got a life-saving operation after a top doctor confused him with the Arsenal footie legend.<\/p>\n

Antiques dealer Lee had been admitted following a stroke<\/a> when he was visited by the cardiologist who was hoping to meet defender Dixon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Antiques dealer Lee Dixon got a life-saving operation after a top doctor confused him with the Arsenal footie legendCredit: Neil Hope\"Portrait<\/a><\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Lee had been admitted following a stroke when he was visited by the cardiologist who was hoping to meet the defenderCredit: Neil Hope\"Derriford<\/a><\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

The patient was treated at Derriford Hospital in PlymouthCredit: Getty\"Lee<\/a><\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Lee Dixon at the heart of Arsenal\u2019s defenceCredit: Allsport<\/p>\n

Despite his disappointment, the doctor decided to examine Lee, 54, and discovered a strawberry-sized blood clot<\/a> on his heart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The anomaly had been missed by junior colleagues in Exeter<\/a> \u2014 who wanted to send Lee home.<\/p>\n

And there were no ambulances available to take Lee to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth<\/a> for surgery until another staff member \u2014 also a huge Gunners <\/a>fan \u2014 rearranged the schedule to transfer him urgently.<\/p>\n

Lee, who lives in Buckfastleigh, Devon<\/a>, with his partner Denise Channing, was operated on the next day and made a full recovery.<\/p>\n

He now runs Dixon\u2019s Real Deal, a shop selling second-hand radio<\/a> equipment and antique bottles in Torquay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The divorced <\/a>dad of two, who served in the Royal Navy<\/a> as a radio operator, admitted he has never watched a footie match and prefers wrestling<\/a>. <\/p>\n

He said: \u201cUndoubtedly my name saved my life. It was a total fluke \u2014 I was about to be discharged when the doctor came in saying he was a massive Arsenal fan and heard I was Lee Dixon.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously he saw I wasn\u2019t but decided while he was there to have a look at my heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked shocked when he found a lump the size of a large strawberry and just said, \u2018You are not being discharged today, we need to get you in for emergency surgery\u2019. <\/p>\n

“The funny thing is I\u2019m not even a football<\/a> fan. I remember once seeing Lee on Match of the Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 8 subtle signs of lingering ‘holiday heart syndrome’ – and when you risk blood clots and stroke<\/p>\n

\u201cI never get bored of people commenting on it, it\u2019s a bit of a laugh and I like to think people occasionally mix us up but he\u2019d have to gain a bit of weight for that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee says customers at Dixon\u2019s Real Deal also joke about TV <\/a>antiques expert David Dickinson, who presented Dickinson\u2019s Real Deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI get a few jokes with customers saying, \u2018I thought you\u2019d be more orange\u2019, but it\u2019s all good fun and I\u2019m just happy being me.<\/p>\n

Right-back Dixon, 61, retired in 2002 after 14 years at Arsenal and works as an analyst for ITV<\/a> Sport and NBC<\/a> Sports Soccer in the US.<\/p>\n

He won four league titles and three FA Cups<\/a> with the club.<\/p>\n

Asked if he has a message for the star, Lee, who is fully recovered from his 2015 op, said: \u201cI\u2019d just like to say thank you for being who you are \u2014 I owe you one.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk of heart attacks and stroke<\/p>\n

You can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke with many of the same methods. <\/p>\n

Heart attacks and strokes, although affecting different organs of the body, are both what we call cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n

Both arise from similar underlying conditions, such as atherosclerosis \u2014a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. <\/p>\n

According to the American Heart Association, the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes are largely the same: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes.<\/p>\n

Therefore, addressing these risk factors can simultaneously reduce the risk of both conditions.<\/p>\n

Here are ways you can prevent the two: <\/p>\n

Healthy diet<\/strong><\/p>\n