A man who uses a machine to check his blood levels after he was born with a rare type of heart disease is hoping people can soon use them for free on the NHS.
Twenty-one-year-old George Armstrong, of Ludham Hall Lane, Braintree, was born with Truncus Arteriosus, which means his heart did not form properly at birth.
The former Notley High School pupil, who also attended Notley Green Primary School, underwent two major operations - one at three months old and another when he was nine - to insert new valves into his heart.
Unchecked, there is a risk of the blood clotting in those areas, which could lead to heart attacks and heart failure in extreme cases.
Aged 11, he was given a self-testing INR machine by the Children’s Heart Foundation, which meant that he could check his blood levels himself and adjust his medication accordingly.
See Thursday's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.
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