Final Update - Wed 25th February 2026

Hi All,

Thank you so much for your patience. Things got a lot more difficult with some really bad bleeding issues, psychological issues (Turns out Pumphead syndrome is a thing!) And an unrelated tendon injury caused me to have some pretty big setbacks, but hey, I'm still here and almost recovered!

Thank you for being amazing. I will seriously never forget this. Ever. When things get tough, I just load up this page and I'm still floored by everyone's incredible generosity and kindness.

If anyone gets bored or curious, my Instagram name is Paulshinfo. You are always welcome to see how I am doing. I warn you: it isn't that interesting! Although I do try! I shouldn't have to update this page anymore as I am almost recovered, but I will be active on there.

Once again. THANK YOU. I will never forget this.

I love you all

Paul

Update - Monday 27th October - 2025

Hi All,

Paul here. I just wanted to post an update to let you all know how I am doing. I appreciate that I have also written a LOT here, so if you wish to skip to the end, then that is where all of the thank you’s live!

I just wanted to start off by saying that I was going to be doing a lot more updates and posts, but I was blissfully unaware of how long and hard this recovery road was going to be. Also, things can sadly go (very) wrong in recovery and I didn’t want to be posting a rollercoaster of updates and worrying people; I realised that it might be better to hold off until I was all in the clear. Also, I want to say that I know that there are a lot of people who have gone through, and are currently going through far worse than what I have gone through. I am not blind to this and I do not wish to trivialise anyone else’s journeys. I just wish to talk about mine. You know that I can be dramatic too, so be ready for some moaning!

So, to start on a positive note - I met with my surgeon this week and he has given me the all clear! My X-ray looked “immaculate” and I have been greenlit for a new life! I am not afraid to admit that I cried knowing that my future is now up to me to decide. My aneurysm is fixed. My aortic root is “In the bin”, and my new metallic valve ticks like a clock! (No, seriously. If you see me in real life then you can hear it when you stand next to me). I am on blood thinners for life (Warfarin) and luckily my body has taken to the drug with minimal complications. That’s at least been nice to not have to worry about!

In terms of my recovery. Well, I knew it would be tough, but it really caught me by surprise how brutal it was. Your body essentially shuts down and you have to reprogram it to be able to function again. Re-inflating your lungs day by day, not being able to walk more than 200 meters, having your body power down at any time, almost vomiting when walking up the slightest incline, having NO strength (I lost a tug of war against a Maltipoo), and moving around every day feeling like you have lost a fight with a gorilla. The night sweats were also absolutely horrific. Your brain goes into a state of PTSD from your heart being stopped for the operation and every time you fall asleep, you wake up shivering violently in literal puddles of sweat. After multiple weeks of this (3 times a night) I was terrified of going to sleep, and nighttime became a bit of a thing that I dreaded.

There were also complications: Post-operative anemia sucked. It’s taken 8 weeks to feel normal from that, and it was not fun to walk around feeling and looking like a sheet of A4 paper. I also had to fight off a nasty infection, which made me look and feel like something out of a death metal song lyric. But, my incredible fiancé made sure that every day, no matter how I felt, I was walking - stretching - and doing my breathing exercises. It was lovely to be able to smile and do my stretches to emo classics whilst feeling like I was going to faint - but still smiling through it watching someone do them with me and shout along like a shorter, less garish Mr. Motivator.

Oh and the mental side has been interesting. I was told there would be ups and downs. I was told that I might cry. Boy, did I cry! I usually cry at things anyway but everything made me cry. I even cried when I had my first post-op kebab (it was a thing of beauty to be fair). But, through all of the anxiety, pain, sickness, frustration, sadness, and fatigue came the overwhelming joy that I am still here and able to actually feel these things (no matter how unpleasant they may be).

Before I thank people - I just wanted to say that I didn’t set up this fundraiser. My Fiancé (I’ll just say Clare from now on; I have a hard-limit of how much French I’m willing to put in a message) set it up after a suggestion by our good friend Paul H. I was originally against the idea as I inherited my dad’s “I can go through this alone” mindset. The fact that he is no longer with us sadly shows that that mentality isn’t always the best way to go about things. I have had multiple communities come together for me; friends, family, colleagues, strangers, World of Warcraft, Fantasy Rugby, Bath Rugby players, the most beautiful well-wishes, care packages, cards, amazing village fundraisers, and so much more! I did not ask for one bit of this and I’m sorry but I am having the hardest time trying to swallow down what I did to deserve such incredible treatment from you all, but because of all of you, I have the rest of my life to figure that one out.

This Gofundme allowed me to book the operation. It has come on good authority that if I had waited on the NHS then I pretty-much wouldn’t be here. I hold no grudges or ill-feelings towards what got me here. I am just absolutely thrilled to be alive. Not one of you needed to donate anything towards me, but I genuinely can’t thank you enough for doing so. You all saved my life, and I will live every.single.day of my life knowing this. Please know that no matter who you are, no matter what you are going through, you will always be in my thoughts. I owe my life to you all.

Oh I also have an Instagram, that I will be posting more on - paulshinfo - Please feel free to follow me . I will be posting things about the operation and my recovery (in the immediacy), but it might also be nice to see how I am living the life that you have all given me. Yes, there will be some metal and some Warhammer stuff in there too, but I promise that there will be some interesting stuff as well!

Clare, I love you more than you can even comprehend. Everyone who looked after me in the hospital, you are amazing - and patient (I was nicknamed Naked Paul by the staff- don’t forget to ask me about that one!), and every single person in my life is incredible. Oh and there is one more person who I am thanking from the bottom of my heart. They know who they are; I know who they are; we will just leave it at that.

Mum. I know that you will never be able to comprehend what has happened over the last few months, but I know in there somewhere is a little part of you that knows that your boy is finally safe. May that spark stay with you until the end, and finally give you the peace that you deserve.

To quote Sleep Token:

“But I'm finally here

And I'm not leaving this time”

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU

Paul

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Hi, my name is Clare, and I’m fundraising for my fiancé Paul to have urgent open-heart surgery. He has both an aortic aneurysm and a bicuspid aortic valve.

For the past ten years, Paul’s condition has been monitored by cardiologists through regular scans. However, after a recent, more detailed scan reviewed by a surgeon, we were shocked to learn that Paul has “been past the threshold for operation for years” and that “the NHS has failed him” due to misread measurements over the past five years.

There are currently no NHS surgery slots available until at least January, but waiting that long is far too dangerous. The surgeon confirmed that this delay poses a serious, life-threatening risk and strongly advised against it.

We have no choice but to go private — with the surgeon recommending surgery in early September — but we simply don’t have the funds.

If you are able to help with a donation, no matter how small, it would mean the world to us and could help save Paul’s life.