Butcher's heart beats thanks to a pig!

London, March 18 : Butcher Greg Hull would have never guessed a pig would save his heart some day but that is exactly what has happened - he underwent five hours of open-heart surgery to insert a new tissue valve from a pig.

The 50-year-old father-of-two, who sells bacon, sausages and ham at Frasers butcher's in Bolton, was hospitalised for a week after the transplant.

While it took him almost two months to recuperate Greg is now back at his meat shop.

"The doctors gave me a choice of whether I wanted a tissue valve or an artificial valve. I opted for the pig valve because, as a butcher, I've spent my life working with pigs, so I thought it was only right that a pig should help me get better," the Daily Express quoted Greg as saying.