Darts legend John Lowe undergoes 3 hour surgery to remove tumour: “The surgeon said ‘tell them you have had a face lift’”

John Lowe — the three-time World Champion and the first man ever to win the World Championship across three different decades — has revealed that he has undergone a three hour procedure to remove a tumour from his cheek.

The 80-year-old, one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport and the thrower of the first televised nine-darter in 1984, shared a detailed account of the experience with fans on Facebook, praising the team who treated him at NHS Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Lowe explained that the operation was carried out under local anaesthetic, writing that it lasted “3 hours, Yes, that was quite a while”, and describing how conversation with his surgeon helped keep him calm during the procedure.

“This helped immensely to pass those long hours away,” he wrote, adding that the nurses “were more than helpful, it was so comforting, it kept my thoughts on the right path.”

Lowe gave a candid description of the moment the operation reached its conclusion. “When the surgeon said, John we are about there, my thoughts raced, what would I look like, after all the cutting, stitching,” he wrote. “I could not feel the scalpel doing it's work, I could hear it though, I could feel the stitching slightly, the anaesthetic was wearing off.”

He explained the checks carried out immediately afterwards: “I was cleaned up, chair up righted, asked to close my eyes, move my forehead, smile, move my tongue from side to side, all to find out if my nerve/s had been caught.”  

“The smile on my surgeons face was enough to tell me he had completed a most professional procedure,” Lowe added, although when he first saw the sight himself, he admitted it wasn't a pretty sight. "I must admit I did expect it though… when asked what I thought I replied, delighted, you have removed the growth/tumour that I have lived with for the last 3 months.”

He added that he felt “overwhelmed and so thankful” to surgeon Craig Miller and the nursing team, noting how the nurses who assisted — and those who stopped by to ask how he was doing — “kept my thoughts on the right path”.

Lowe wrote that after being discharged he “put my glasses on, my coat on, shook hands with Craig, thanked the Nurses, paid my parking fee and drove straight home to show Karen my wife”. He is now resting at home, waiting for the wound to heal, with stitches due to be removed in ten days.

Explaining why he wanted to share the story, Lowe said he hoped that “anyone facing the same situation can feel safe knowing the professionals at our NHS care about their work, which is so vital to us all”.

He ended his post with the humorous instruction given to him as he left the hospital: “One thing I will always remember, I asked Surgeon Craig before I left, what do I tell people, his reply ‘tell them you have had a face lift’ I certainly have.”

From all associated with Dartsnews.com, we would like to send out best wishes to the legendary John Lowe through his recovery.