Man's life changed forever after 'scary' moment in Spanish airport

Harry Trow has kept up his hobbies and took up new ones despite several setbacks liverpoolecho

A man knew something was wrong when he was in an airport heading back home.

Harry Trow, 75, from Waterloo, worked for many years as a landscaper and spent his free time as a footballer. He played in goal for numerous amateur teams, including New Brighton in his early twenties, where he faced off against Liverpool FC reserves in a match that was Kevin Keegan’s last for the side. However, after an accident, he was forced to quit as a landscaper 11 years ago and sought to keep busy in a different way. Speaking to the ECHO, Harry said: “I had just burst a couple of vertebrates and I couldn't walk for a while. I got injections and the only thing I could do at the time was sit on the motorbike, so I went around the world on that

“I was riding around Europe, I wasn't booking in hotels, I was living rough on the street, and I did that because I couldn't afford any hotels or stuff like that on my pension. I couldn't afford a hotel and petrol. I had about £20 a day to live on. “And I felt very guilty that I was travelling around all these places. I'm not contributing to their economy. So I would try to find a charity, based in the country I was going to, so it gave me a sense of ethical purpose.” In support of the Ray Kennedy appeal - a charity that supported former LFC midfielder Ray Kennedy who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his latter years - he travelled to Spain, bought an old moped and rode it back to England. After that, he could not resist continuing his travels on his trusted mode of transport, where he mixed charity work with playing in goal for whichever football team he could find. Harry said: “I got the bug then. I was off, I went all around Europe. I did Australia, went to the USA, went to Cuba. I did some work for UNICEF. I got wrapped up in an India project about education, which was absolutely great.”

However, bad luck seemed to follow Harry around. He said: “I had a crash about five years back in Spain and my bike was stuck out there. I had to go out there and, and fetch it. I knew all the Madrid supporters and played out there with the Liverpool supporters team a number of times.” Unfazed by the crash, Harry played in a tournament - and ended up cracking his rib while coming down on his elbow on the hard floor they were playing on.

The scariest moment for him actually came three years previously, while he was heading back home to the UK from a trip to Spain. He said: “I was just walking through the airport trying to get to an airport gate. And I was, I was fit as a fiddle walking along and then suddenly I just stopped and I couldn't breathe. And I thought it was like a panic attack, an asthma attack or something. And then bit by bit, it just gets, you know, worse.” It turned out that Harry had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the term for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties. It's a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke, and many people do not realise they have it. The breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit your normal activities, although treatment can help keep the condition under control. Harry started smoking when he was 10 years old. He has found living with COPD very difficult at times. He said: “You realise you can't do anything without putting them under pressure. And then you can't do anything at all because you're hanging on to things while you get your breath back. It's this little process, and you don't realise how bad it's getting.” However, Harry claims he does not find COPD too bad unless he has a chest infection. To further complicate matters, he had to have a hip replacement last year, which combined with COPD left him in hospital last week. He said: “My hip was degenerating all the while. I got my hip replacement about 12, 14 months ago now. Then I had muscular problems. So at the end of last year, I had an injection to get my leg working again - that helped. And I was just raring to go, and then I went down with a whole load of chest infections which meant I ended up in the hospital last Friday.” By Tuesday 23 January, he was out of hospital and looking for something to do. Despite being told to take it easy by doctors, and a warning from one anaesthetist that his breathing test results were the worst they’d ever seen in thirty years of surgery, he began looking for a new football team to play in.

On Tuesday night, he posted on X/Twitter: “Seriously, if anyone in Liverpool can accommodate a 75 year old goalkeeper in 5/6/11 a side for one game contact me. Just come through some physical issues and my last game was for Madrid Reds four years ago in a six a side tournament. Still very capable.” Within a day, he had found a new team, thanks to the promotion of his wishes by Andy Heaton from LFC podcast The Anfield Wrap. Last night, he made his debut in goal for a veterans team at Anfield Sports and Community Centre on Lower Breck Road. He said: “Every time I hit the floor, it was tough, but I survived it. Last night was a little bit too intense - it was five a side for one hour. The biggest problem I think I found was the floodlights - my night time vision isn't so good these days. But I enjoyed it. “I asked him [Andy] to publicise it, and it was a friend of his who came back straight away. I was quite amazed, I wasn't expecting to be in action so quickly.”

Despite admitting he would rather have gone back “a bit more gently”, Harry is determined to stay active, claiming exercise is the best form of treatment. He said: “I mean, I've been through so many therapies with all the problems I've had over the past couple of years. One of my things is If you're going to be doing something, make it fun, but therapy is no fun. It's just work with no outlet and product apart from feeling better. Harry with his saxophone Harry with his saxophone (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Harry has now started a new group with people with COPD which will organise and encourage physical activities. Although joking he must be a “nightmare for the medical profession”, he genuinely believes this is the best way to stay positive and keep healthy. “I can't stand sitting around. With therapy, you're doing it on your own most of the time. If you haven't got a big social network, then you're in the house on your own, you get discouraged, and in the end you slide backwards, it’s not going to improve. “That’s why I thought of creating a social group. The important thing is to get the therapy in and make it fun.”

It’s not just old hobbies which interest Harry either. He said: “When I had the news on breathing tests, I bought a clarinet to help me. Never played one before. Now I have two of them and two saxophones.” Harry remains positive despite the setbacks he has faced and has one motto which sums this approach up. He said: “In recovery, set yourself goals but be prepared not to achieve them. It gets you further than no goals at all.”

You can find out more about Harry’s club by visiting its website.