A man who desperately needed a heart operation wrote a cheque so he could go private knowing it would bounce.
Roy Thayers, 77, was warned he might die on the NHS waiting list but could not afford to pay for the £6,500 surgery.
So he wrote out a cheque knowing that by the time it bounced the operation would be over.
Roy from Hounslow, West London is repaying the debt at £25 month.
The coronary angioplasty op at Hammersmith Hospital lasted almost two hours and was a success.
Within a month the hospital sent letters demanding payment, then threatened to send bailiffs round.
(What? ... to repossess his heart???)
Roy said: "I had to start off paying £150 a month. I only get £470 pension, so I got it reduced to £25. I'll be 99 by the time it's paid."
A hospital spokesman said: "We have done all we can to accommodate Mr Thayers' financial situation."
(A hospital with ... ahem ... heart)
Way to go Roy!
