John's Story

"Every day my knee is becoming more mobile and less painful… and hopefully by the end of this season, I’ll be able to get back in a sailing boat."

Retired 82-year-old John has been a keen sailor for around 70 years. He makes sure to keep himself busy, fit, and healthy by going to the gym three times a week, sailing on the weekends and going for lunch with his friends to catch-up on their university days. But when John started getting intense pain in one of his knees, it began to put a dampener on his active lifestyle.

“Before I started having knee problems, my ideal sort of day would have been sailing on the sea…clear blue sky, big waves, 10 to 15 miles an hour wind, lots of spray, racing against my friends and competitors. The racing is always absolutely, totally absorbing - It's a mental exercise. I could see I was no longer going to be able to do that.”

After seeing a consultant, he was told that while some of the cartilage had worn away, he didn’t need surgery yet. Instead, he was able to manage the condition with physiotherapy and staying active wherever he could. But, over time the pain worsened, and the impact on his life became harder to ignore.

“Sailing was becoming extremely difficult… it was not good fun. It really became unbearable to live with.”

John said that knowing he had private health insurance gave him the confidence he needed to get something done about the pain he was living with on a daily basis. 

“It was very reassuring to know Aviva were there in the background. If I wanted the surgery, I could have it done privately, fairly fast. So as soon as I wanted the operation, I just put in a claim and it went through very easily. It’s very reassuring to know that you've got that flexibility.”

John found that having the operation privately also alleviated some of the worries he might’ve had.

“I think I was very lucky to be able to have the operation done privately. There was far less worry and anxiety.”

Before this, John’s experience with Aviva had already been shaped by something much more personal – the care his late wife received during her cancer treatment. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2019, she underwent extensive treatment over four years before sadly passing away. Throughout that time, Aviva supported her treatment.  

“Aviva were tremendous… once she was on that pathway, she didn’t have to make any more claims. They just kept on paying the bills, which was wonderful.”

Feeling reassured that Aviva was there to support him too, John put his first claim in on MyAviva. 

“I was very worried about that because my technical skills are not great. But it really was very easy. I just logged into my MyAviva account, selected ‘healthcare’ and all my policies and everything came up.”

John submitted his claim on MyAviva after being asked a few simple questions and had a response that his claim had been accepted within three days.

John underwent knee replacement surgery in January 2026. The immediate aftermath was tough. John still had some pain immediately after his operation, that he struggled to manage. But, with support from his family, he began the rehabilitation process, starting physiotherapy almost immediately as part of the support he received from Aviva post-op.

Now, a few months on, the difference is clear and John’s goal is simple: to get back on the water. 

“It just seemed an impossible dream, but it is now becoming reality. And I'm pretty confident that by the end of the season, I will be getting back in a sailing boat once more.”

Staying mobile as we age could make a real difference to confidence, independence and quality of life — and John is a great example of what that can look like with the right support. The NHS says that older adults should aim to be active every day, with activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility at least two days a week. Staying mobile can even help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. ^{Footnote [1]}

If you’d like more support or advice, see some of our mobility resources here: