Ray Meagher’s heart surgery shock
Possibly one of Home and Away’s most beloved and easily recognisable faces, Ray Meagher, has recently revealed he is recovering from undergoing an emergency open heart surgery after it was discovered he had extensive “coronary calcification.”
The 75-year-old veteran actor said a routine health check up uncovered three serious blockages in his arteries which resulted in a need for triple bypass surgery, according to the Herald Sun.
Coronary calcification is the buildup of calcium in the arteries which can lead to heart disease as the buildup makes the blood vessels become narrower.
Meagher said one of the arteries shows it was “100 per cent [blocked]” and that there “was a good chunk of solid white [calcification].”
The magazine revealed Meagher is now resting comfortably in his Sydney home and feels “very, very lucky” to have gone to his annual heart checkups and stress tests before he jumped behind the wheel to drive to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland for a holiday with his wife, Gilly.
“We were all packed up and ready to drive north, but if we had without seeing the cardiologist, well, you could have a heart attack at the wheel, you kill yourself, you kill your wife, or some other poor innocent people. It’s just horrific to think what could have happened,” he said,
“I’m just glad to be on the planet.”
The veteran actor encourages everyone to see their GP for a regular general heart check.
"It doesn't take long and there's so much to be gained by going to the doctor and finding out the truth about your health, so you can do something about it."
Ray Meagher has been a valuable character on Home and Away for 31 years as Alf Stewart.