Former Mr Wales urges people to embrace fitness after ‘remarkable recovery’ from cardiac infection

A Swansea bodybuilder, crowned ‘Mr Wales’ 12 times, is encouraging others to take fitness seriously and embrace a healthy lifestyle after his recovery from a life-threatening cardiac infection.

Neil Andrews was so ill with the cardiac infection that he was advised to put his affairs in order and prepare himself for the worst the night before a major heart operation to save his life, even recording a video message for his daughter and writing a will.

Remarkable

Neil survived the operation and has since completed a “remarkable” recovery which has seen him go from losing 20kg in weight during a two and a half month stay in hospital, to going on to become a professional bodybuilder.

The secret to his recovery, he says, was his physical fitness, with staff at Morriston Hospital’s cardiac centre attributing it to his survival.

Neil, who won his Mr Wales titles as an amateur bodybuilder, has decided to share his story to both thank the Swansea Bay staff who saved his life, and to highlight the importance of physical fitness in recovering from illness.

Encouraging everyone to take steps to keep themselves fit and healthy he said: “It blows my mind that people think this vessel our physique is going to carry you to the end of time. You wouldn’t not service your car, it’s going to break down at some point.

“Try and have the same attitude to your daily health goals and be as fit and healthy as possible. You reap what you sow, daily. Just look after your health and body and it will look after you.”

Illness

The 45-year-old from Swansea recalled his sudden illness back in March 2022, saying: “I woke up on a Sunday and was shivering uncontrollably. I thought it was flu or a virus. I got changed and went out with the family but had to turn the car around because I felt so fatigued.

“I was admitted into Singleton Hospital. They did all kind of tests. They thought it might be meningitis first of all. They did three lumbar punctures that came back negative.

“They sent me home and when I got home I had a phone call saying come straight back, we found bacteria in your blood.

“I came back and that’s when I kind of went downhill. I ended up in intensive care before being blue-lighted to Morriston Hospital’s cardiac centre.”

An echocardiogram revealed that he had a heart condition called infective endocarditis of the aortic valve that required immediate lifesaving surgery.

Heart failure

Neil said: “I will never forget the words of the consultant, Mr Zaidi, he said, ‘We don’t know how you are alive. You have been in acute heart failure for two weeks, but you are so physically fit and strong you are here.

“’We’ve got eight hours to try and do something or you won’t see another eight hours. Personally, I’d get your affairs in order because you are in a bad way.’

“I made a video recording for my daughter and wrote my will on my phone. They took me down to surgery the next morning.

“I honestly didn’t think I would survive. My very first thought when I came around, after surgery was, ‘I’m alive!’”

Unsurprisingly, considering his dedication to his sport, Neil relished tackling the long road to recovery.

He said: “I had lots of ups and downs. Physically I had lost 20kg (more than 3 stone) in weight. I had to learn how to walk again. I couldn’t walk without help. The physio therapy team was brilliant.

“I was moved on to the Cyril Evans ward where I had my own room for two and a half months. The staff were unbelievable. I had a pic line going in through my bicep to my heart to give me antibiotics every 4 hours, 24 hours a day, for two months.

“It was all about recovery then. I started off walking to the end of the ward. Then I was walking to the end of the corridor. Then I would walk to main reception. Then I would walk out of the hospital and around the perimeter every day.

“Everyone on social media was following me. I’m not one to just sit there and see my recovery out. I was trying to do a little bit more every day. I decided one day to try a flight of stairs – I walked up one flight and my heart rate was 148 and I was gasping for air.

“Every day it got a bit better and better.”

Praise

He has nothing but praise for those who helped him.

He said: “The staff were amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of them. They saved my life. They were unbelievable.

“To be honest, after two and a half months, I didn’t want to go home. I felt safe and secure.”

Now, Neil’s message to anyone who finds themselves in hospital is to work alongside the staff to aid your recovery.

He said: “I honestly believe that you reap what you sow daily. That’s what I try to put over to my followers on social media – the importance of being fit and healthy. I honestly believe that’s what saved my life.”

He said: “When I came out of hospital the goal wasn’t to go back to bodybuilding – it was just to recover. I thought I’d just try to be healthy and get back to some sort of normality.

“They said no training of your upper body for three months because the surgery had cut my sternum open. I went to the gym and kept things light. I couldn’t even curl a 2.5kg dumbbell. To me, that was just another goal.

“This year I thought, can I be competitive again? And low and behold, I won an IFBB show and overall champion, then I won a qualifier for the British Championships in PCA and won it. I won the British title and was given my professional card, then went to the pro show and won the pro show and the top prize money. I quite literally won it all.”

Critical

Mr Afzal Zaidi, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, explained Neil’s illness.

He said: “Neil had a condition called infective endocarditis of the aortic valve, which is a life-threatening condition. In fact, in his case, the aortic valve had been completely destroyed by the infection. He was on the intensive care unit with, essentially, his lungs flooded with water. He was very critically ill. On the verge of death really.

“So we took him as an emergency into the operating theatre and replaced his aortic valve with a mechanical valve. And he made a fantastic recovery on account of all the efforts of the team including, most importantly, the patient.

“Whenever we do heart surgery, it’s always our aim to get the person back to their preoperative fitness. We want to get them back to their fitness before the heart problems started.

“In the case of Neil, he was obviously so fit it’s a real testament to his efforts that he managed to get back to winning the British Championship. It’s incredible that he managed to do that. We are all very pleased with how well he has done.”

Tribute

Mr Zaidi paid tribute to the huge team that helped Neil, saying: “There’s a big team in the operating theatre – about 10 people all doing their jobs very slickly, then in the intensive care unit, on the ward, the nurses and physiotherapists – there’s a big team involved in heart surgery and everyone has to be working at a very high level to get such sick people through.”

Sammy Bradley, a Sister in the cardiac centre and pre-assessment lead, reinforced the need for patients to play a role in their recovery.

She said: “The patient has an important role to play and is an equal part of the team.
It is important for patients to recognise the importance of working together with the team to enhance their recovery after surgery.

“This will significantly reduce complications, reduce hospital length of stay and help to regain physical fitness and independence quicker.

“Neil is a testament to that ethos and I hope will prove to be an inspiration to others.”