Comic Fred MacAulay has spoken publicly for the first time about a serious golfing accident that nearly cost him his life. The 69-year-old comedian was playing golf at Loch Lomond with his brother and two friends when the electric golf trolley he was using struck a hidden fence post stump.
The impact caused the handle to strike MacAulay in the abdomen, just to the left of his navel. Initially, he felt only a dull ache and continued playing, unaware that the blow had severed an artery in his abdomen, leading to internal bleeding.
Approximately an hour and a half after finishing the round, MacAulay began to feel unwell. His friend, retired surgeon Douglas Keay, noticed MacAulay's deteriorating condition and called emergency services. MacAulay stated that had he attempted to drive himself home, he likely would not have survived.
An ambulance arrived, and as paramedics were preparing to move him, MacAulay collapsed. He was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he underwent a four-and-a-half-hour operation. Following the surgery, he spent five days in the high dependency unit and an additional three days in a general ward. MacAulay expressed his gratitude to the consultant surgeon who identified the severity of his injury.
This incident follows MacAulay's previous public discussion of his battle with prostate cancer, diagnosed in July of the previous year. His late father also had prostate cancer, and his brother was diagnosed with the disease nine years prior.
MacAulay resumed stand-up performances in January and is scheduled to appear at Fringe by The Sea and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month, followed by a two-month tour of Scotland.