‘When offered something interesting, if it is legal, say yes.’ With these words, my grandfather set me on the path to a fascinating life. The Butcher's Boy from Clun: My Life as a Heart Surgeon charts my journey from country lad in an idyllic Shropshire village to senior surgeon at the world-renowned Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. In the course of my career I have been fortunate to work with and number among my friends some of the biggest names in heart and lung surgery. Highlights have included my involvement in the first human heart transplant of the modern era and the second ever total artificial heart replacement. I have also established a full thoracic surgical practice and the first two-stop lung cancer centre in the country. It has been a demanding and rewarding career, but not all-encompassing. Along the way I have indulged my passion for the arts, hosting artists in residence and becoming involved in exhibitions and research on Leonardo da Vinci. I am especially proud of exhibiting in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and, in 2006, sharing the Sir Hugh Casson prize for drawing with Paolo Regu and Frank Auerbach. Twenty years on, it continues to be a fascinating life.