Stitched Up : A Story of Heart and a Life Fulfilled

In Stitched Up, Vic Wiggins tells his story – how he has navigated a complex chronic illness over 5 decades – and still pushed the limits and lived a life fulfilled.

In 1971, Vic was the youngest child in the UK to survive a pioneering 12-hour operation for a rare and complex heart problem.Against all the odds, and despite multiple medical setbacks, he reached his fifties – something that few people would have bet on. But his survival has come at a cost, both physically and mentally.Stitched Up: A story of heart and a life fulfilled tells the story of how Vic pushed the limits.Vic Wiggins has more reasons than most to feel like he has been ‘stitched up’ by life. In 1971, he was the youngest child in the UK to survive a pioneering 12-hour operation for a rare and complex heart problem – the first of 3 open-heart surgeries. Vic received a new heart in February 2025, left hospital 13 days later and, less than two months later, went bike riding with his son for the first time in years.• In Stitched Up, Vic tells his story – how he has navigated a complex chronic illness over 5 decades – and still pushed the limits and lived a life fulfilled.• Vic has written this book for anyone who feels like they’ve been ‘stitched up’ by life – literally or figuratively.• This book deeply explores life when tomorrow is never guaranteed. Vic answers the question on how to remain hopeful even while living with the fear of death daily.• The book is for anyone with a chronic medical condition (both congenital or acquired), carers, family members, educators and medical professionals.