At the ripe old age of 103, it must be getting difficult to achieve many “firsts”.
But Christine Hamill has managed two firsts in one visit to the Belford Hospital in Fort William.
Mrs Hamill, known as Chrissie, made history after becoming the oldest patient at the Belford to go under the knife.
She underwent emergency abdominal surgery – after living with complications from a previous operation conducted over 50 years ago.
Mrs Hamill is also thought to be the oldest person in the country to have undergone a particular type of emergency abdominal surgery.
Born on June 10, 1914, in Camus na Gaul, Mrs Hamill recuperated within the space of a few weeks and has since returned to living independently at Victoria Court sheltered residents complex, in Fort William.
Happily back at home, she said: “I am so grateful to Mr Gurunathan-Mani and his theatre staff for undertaking what, to me, considering my age, was obviously a risky procedure.
“The aftercare which I received in hospital is a credit to the nursing staff and the Belford Hospital.”
Since her operation, her nephew and daughter-in-law have stayed close by, visiting her regularly throughout her recovery.
Her nephew, Stewart Maclean, spoke about his aunt’s condition.
He said: “Chrissie is absolutely delighted about the way that she been treated by staff at the Belford.
“Since she had the operation, she’s been recovering incredibly well.”
In the past, doctors have often been reluctant to operate on the elderly as age has proven to contribute towards a number of surgical risks.
What would be considered a minor operation or procedure in a younger patient could have dramatic effects on elderly ones.
Consultant surgeon Sivaraman Gurunathan-Mani said: “Chrissie needed to have an emergency abdominal operation because of an obstruction caused by a previous procedure she had more than 50 years ago.
“She was in reasonably good health for her age, so it was a golden opportunity to help her, and that’s what we did.
“The operation took just over an hour. We got it done at the right time, and she has made a good recovery.”