Darren to move out of Neuro-rehab back home

Darren White has spent the last 17 months in hospital and neuro-rehabilitation, following a near fatal intercranial bleed, causing a hemorrhagic stroke in September 2021. After emergency surgery, Darren was in a critical condition in ICU for a number of weeks, followed by many more weeks in a hospital for intensive neurological rehabilitation and then on to slow stream rehabilitation, where he has remained since February 2022.

Darren (who only turned 40 a few months ago), has dedicated his working life to supporting and serving the community as a Police Officer. He and his family now desperately need support back from the community to enable him to begin to build his life back again and finally be properly reunited with his wife and daughters, who miss him immeasureably.

Darren is at the stage where he can look towards moving back home to his wonderful wife Jo and two young daughters Abbie (13) and Lola (8) - who he is currently only able to see just a couple of times a week at his rehabilitation centre.

To be able to do this, they need to have an extension built on to their home that allows him the living space needed for that of a wheelchair-bound person.

The maximum disability grant available only covers a small fraction of the costs involved.

Darren is unable to move back home until this work is completed, so raising the extra funds is an urgent priority.

All contributions towards making this a reality will be gratefully received and appreciated.

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This was taken from Jo’s notes one year on from when it happened:

“12 months since I received the message from Abbie, our then almost 12 year old.

Darren had been to work as normal that day and cycled home part way and got the train to go and pick up Lola from school.

Thankfully Abbie had come home from school as it was a gymnastics day for her and she noticed something wasn’t right.

I’d already spoken to her about being in touch with me (as she called me earlier to say she was going to a friends on the way home) as I’d started a new nanny job and didn’t want to be seen on my phone… so told her her Daddy was home and to not bother me at work.

So to then get the message from her, I’m so thankful of her thinking and proud of her bravery.

I took a quick screen shot of the message and sent to Darren, asking was all ok? Didn’t call initially as was in the middle of cooking, with 3 children and 2 new parent bosses working from home.

When I got no reply, I rang to check what was happening. Darren said he’s bitten his tongue. His speech sounded slurred but he said he was tired.

I didn’t know if he was playing it down or knew how serious it was, so I got in touch with my next door neighbour, a lovely friend who I asked to go and physically look at Darren.

Soon afterwards she called me to say she was calling an ambulance as his mouth was drooping and his arm had dropped. Calling Darrens Dad, I then made my way home from work.

Once the ambulance arrived, I was unable to go with him to hospital, and after the paramedics telling me they suspected a brain bleed, they took him to the specialist hospital for this.

Horrendous news to be later told they were taken him into surgery to operate on a very aggressive intercranial bleed and very matter of fact told that he may not survive this. Being miles away at home with the girls also being told this news was the hardest thing.

We have always been open and honest with our children and now was no exception.

I’d very naively sent an overnight bag with Darren, packing his phone and charger too. Abbie tracked this and where he was in the family app we share. As I’d sent his phone away, I realised I’d no way of getting in touch with his work. My mind went blank and I couldn’t think who his supervision was. Getting in touch with a friend, who is also a GMP officer and an ex colleague of Darrens, she helped to get in touch with Darrens Sgt, who contacted me and then arranged a car from their unit to come and pick me (and Darrens dad) up.

Being blue lighted to the hospital we met Darrens Sgt and inspector who stayed with us throughout the night until he came out of surgery, for that I’m thankful of.

That’s where the police family support began and continues now.

It’s helpful to write things down, it’s super hard to process the trauma of all of this as life continues. There has been something happening each week and it’s been difficult to stop and reflect.

I am so very thankful that Darren was saved by the amazing surgeon.

We were given the bleakest of picture, but the doctors also still had hope.

ICU was tough, the girls were taken to see their Daddy and be involved right from the start. I couldn’t not include them. We didn’t know if any visit to see him would be their last. We were only allowed one hour per day, again due to covid. We played music, rubbed cream on his feet and painted his toenails (again… something the surgeon commented on when he came out of surgery!), lots of chatting and doing what we needed to get through and to try and get a response.

I was commended by the ICU staff for bringing the girls, she said it was lovely to see children on the unit and have them involved.

There has been lots happen in a year, but I will leave it here (for now) to say that I’m truly thankful of the amazing NHS who have got Darren to where he is now, along with his brilliant determination and mindset.”