Kung fu champion saved by Royal Free doctor 
from Finchley

12:40pm Tuesday 6th September 2011 in Top Stories By Natalie O'Neill

Sid Sofos presents Dr Joseph Davar with thank you statue​

A KUNG FU champion whose weight ballooned to 27 stone after suffering from a rare heart 

condition is fighting fit after a life-saving operation.

Sid Sofocleous, 47, from Highbury, was on death’s door after his heart stopped funing

 properly.

For eight months he was confined to his home, unable to move – a far cry from his life as 

a wing chun kung fu master who has worked alongside boxer Lennox Lewis and travelled 

the world teaching thousands of children.

Mr Sofocleous, who has a two-year-old son called Harry, said: “I saw various doctors and

 they couldn’t give me a diagnosis and it just got worse and worse. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t 

even move. It was unbearable, especially as I was so active before.

“I was at such a low ebb, I thought my life was coming to an end. I thought I wasn’t going to

 be able to watch my son grow up.”

When his condition worsened in April this year, he was taken to Royal Free Hospital in 

Hampsteadwhere Doctor Joseph Davar, from Finchley, diagnosed him with constrictive 

pericarditis, a condition which causes the outer layer of the heart to become rigid and 

causes the body to accumulate fluid.

Mr Sofocleous had heart surgery and lost a staggering 12 stone in fluid in under a month.

Yesterday Mr Sofocleous, who is once again practising kung fu, personally thanked Dr Davar 

and presented himwith a Chinese statue as a token of his gratitude. The statue is inscribed:

 “In the depths of winter yougave me an invincible summer. Thank you for saving my life.”

Mr Sofocleous said: “Dr Davar was like my knight in shining armour - I owe my life to him.”

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/9234626.Kung_fu_champion_saved_by_Royal_Free_doctor/

http://www.barnet-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=33473&headline=Heart%20op%20to%20beat%20rare%20condition%20puts%20Sid%20back%20in%20martial

%20arts%20dojo

 http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2011/sep/health-news-martial-arts-expert-who-taught-steven-seagal-

thanks-doctor-after-heart-con

 http://www.hampsteadpeople.co.uk/Kung-Fu-Champion-Saved-Hampstead-s-Royal-Free/story-13291140-detail/

story.html

 http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/highbury_kung_fu_master_thanks_doctor_who_saved_his_life_1_1017183

 http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/27_stone_tottenham_kung_fu_master_defeats_rare_illness_1_1013902

​

Private Practice NonInvasive Cardiology Unit that I lead at the Royal Free Hospital is 

equipped with the latest and most sophisticated medical equipment including an 

Echomachine with the latest software allowing to acquire and process 2 and 3

dimensional images of the heart ,Doppler and Speckle Strain images ,

different modalities of Stress Echocardiographytailored to the patients needs .

We use short and long term Heart Rhythm monitoring systems including implantable ones and Blood Pressure monitors .For a Non Invasive Cardiac Angiography we use a 300 slice Cardiac CT which allows me to get the best images with a miniscule dose of radiation.

I conduct One Stop Clinics where all necessary Investigations are peformed within one appointment .The results as well as plan of treatment are discussed at the end of the appointment.

Please find the enclosed link to a short introduction to the Royal Free PPU unit

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LYmx1SGXYU&feature=youtu.be

1 st International Symposium in Carcinoid Heart Disease did take place on  04.09.2014 and was organised at the Royal Free Hospital by Dr Joseph Davar- lead for Valvular Heart Disease and Carcinoid Heart Disease Unit in cooperation with NET Unit of RFH 

Cardiologists,Cardiac Anaesthetists,CardioThoracic Surgeons,NET specialists from 10 different countries representing world  leading clinics  such as Royal Free Hospital,Mount Sinai Hospital,Mayo Clinic,Charite and others dealing with this complex pathology attended the Symposium

Link for an additional information is below

https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/news-media/news/international-symposium-on-carcinoid-heart-disease/