Help Stuart Get Home
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This is my father, Stuart Shenton.
My father is like any father. Loving, jokingly sarcastic, extremely hardworking and as we would come to find out, the bravest person I know.
My father has always worked a steady job and has done his very best to provide a home and comfortable life for my family.
Always making sure the bills are paid on time and the food is on the table.
We are just a small family of four. At the time, my father (Stuart 55), my mother (Angela 53), my sister (Alyesha 17) and myself (Liam 22).
Living our day to day lives as any other normal household would, that is until December 28th 2017…
Three days after Christmas day 2017, my dad would wake up around 5:30 am to go for his usual morning "toilet break". After walking half asleep across our narrow landing at the top of the stairs, my father lost his footing. He had fallen as he was walking back to my parent's bedroom.
A simple error caused him to tumble, landing awkwardly at the bottom of the staircase issuing significant damage to his spinal cord.
How could something so mundane and routine be so life-changing?
The emergency services were called immediately and my father was rushed to Poole general hospital, Dorset.
After several x-rays and a CT scan, it was concluded that the cervical vertebrae's C6 and C7 in my father's spinal cord were damaged.
Now for those without knowledge or information on spinal injuries, C6 and C7 are near the base of the neck. Therefore damage in this region implements huge problems anywhere below the top of the ribcage. In most cases resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia.
After being informed about the injury, we were told my father was to be transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Southampton general hospital, Hampshire. This was to undergo a spinal fusion operation, in which the surgeons would join the vertebrae together that were damaged. Thus to eliminate any motion between them.
Thankfully the surgery was successful, but now the long road of recovery and the unknown would start.
My father spent a long six weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Southampton. At this point, he did not have any functional movement in his body and a ventilator had been installed
to power the muscles controlling the inflation of his lungs when breathing. It had started to become obvious that it was highly unlikely my father would ever walk again.
My mother, my sister and I had been attending meetings set up by the hospital on how to deal with life-changing injuries. This included the long term psychological effects on my father
as well as the family.
On 7th February 2018, now over a month later. My father was now transferred to Salisbury spinal treatment centre, Dorset. He would now start his rehabilitation in an attempt to recover any functional movement and nerval feeling that was damaged due to the injury. This involves multiple hours of dexterity work on the hands, Muscle redevelopment and movement sessions.
He was to stay there for 6 months to give him the best chance of a full recovery. By the end of his stay in Salisbury spinal treatment centre, my father had recovered some movement in both his hands, arms and upper body. Unfortunately, he was unable to rebuild enough strength in his lower body to be able to walk again.
While in rehabilitation, we were told that for my father to be able to return home, there would need to be some major changes to our house.
This would mean an extension into our garden that would then act as a bedroom and shower room for my father. Also widening of the hallway and the front door had to be done along with a few changes of the kitchen to make life easier.
This is where things get a little interesting. Of course, we were told that it may take some time for the council to allow planning permission for these changes. This would mean that my father would now have to be transferred to a specialist care home, while we wait for the council's decision. We were also told that it may take up to a year for the planning permission to be accepted. It came as a hard blow, but my father had come so far and we all wanted to stay positive.
It was decided that the government would pay a large percentage of the extension and changes. The remainder of the cost would be then added to my parent's mortgage.
My father was then transferred to Branksome park care centre, Dorset on August the 3rd 2018.
At this point, I should mention that my father had been laid off by his employer (of 20 years) and was receiving no financial help from them at all.
This was due to his incapabilities to work because of the life-changing injury he sustained.
November 2019. Almost 2 years after my father's injury. The planning permission has finally been accepted, the building work has started on the extension and changes are being made to the house.
All while my father, still positive and strong throughout this ordeal, sits in his care homeroom. Daily visits from family and phone calls from relatives pass the time.
BUT and there is a but. The government have somehow forgotten to inform my parents about the flooring costs for the extension. In reasons beyond comprehension, they have
singled out the cost of the flooring. The government have refused to add it to their costs, but also refuse to add it to my parent's mortgage. Thus creating a rather large problem.
My parents will have to pay the upfront cost of the flooring and materials. My dad is unable to work for years to come, staying in a specialist care home. While my mother, still trying to focus on work but understandably struggles due to the psychological effects the accident had on her. So with the incapabilities to raise these funds, the work on the house has been stalled.
Therefore so has my fathers return.
I'm setting up this page in the hope to offer support to my incredible parents. They have been through more than I could ever imagine and I just want them to be able to have their lives back.
A marriage of 35 years, in which almost three of those have been apart. I'm asking for a helping hand in getting my father home where he belongs and hopefully a new start for a family, torn apart over a life-changing injury.
On behalf of me, my family and of course my incredibly brave father Stuart Shenton, thank you for reading this story and thank you in advance for all your kind donations.
My father is like any father. Loving, jokingly sarcastic, extremely hardworking and as we would come to find out, the bravest person I know.
My father has always worked a steady job and has done his very best to provide a home and comfortable life for my family.
Always making sure the bills are paid on time and the food is on the table.
We are just a small family of four. At the time, my father (Stuart 55), my mother (Angela 53), my sister (Alyesha 17) and myself (Liam 22).
Living our day to day lives as any other normal household would, that is until December 28th 2017…
Three days after Christmas day 2017, my dad would wake up around 5:30 am to go for his usual morning "toilet break". After walking half asleep across our narrow landing at the top of the stairs, my father lost his footing. He had fallen as he was walking back to my parent's bedroom.
A simple error caused him to tumble, landing awkwardly at the bottom of the staircase issuing significant damage to his spinal cord.
How could something so mundane and routine be so life-changing?
The emergency services were called immediately and my father was rushed to Poole general hospital, Dorset.
After several x-rays and a CT scan, it was concluded that the cervical vertebrae's C6 and C7 in my father's spinal cord were damaged.
Now for those without knowledge or information on spinal injuries, C6 and C7 are near the base of the neck. Therefore damage in this region implements huge problems anywhere below the top of the ribcage. In most cases resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia.
After being informed about the injury, we were told my father was to be transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Southampton general hospital, Hampshire. This was to undergo a spinal fusion operation, in which the surgeons would join the vertebrae together that were damaged. Thus to eliminate any motion between them.
Thankfully the surgery was successful, but now the long road of recovery and the unknown would start.
My father spent a long six weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Southampton. At this point, he did not have any functional movement in his body and a ventilator had been installed
to power the muscles controlling the inflation of his lungs when breathing. It had started to become obvious that it was highly unlikely my father would ever walk again.
My mother, my sister and I had been attending meetings set up by the hospital on how to deal with life-changing injuries. This included the long term psychological effects on my father
as well as the family.
On 7th February 2018, now over a month later. My father was now transferred to Salisbury spinal treatment centre, Dorset. He would now start his rehabilitation in an attempt to recover any functional movement and nerval feeling that was damaged due to the injury. This involves multiple hours of dexterity work on the hands, Muscle redevelopment and movement sessions.
He was to stay there for 6 months to give him the best chance of a full recovery. By the end of his stay in Salisbury spinal treatment centre, my father had recovered some movement in both his hands, arms and upper body. Unfortunately, he was unable to rebuild enough strength in his lower body to be able to walk again.
While in rehabilitation, we were told that for my father to be able to return home, there would need to be some major changes to our house.
This would mean an extension into our garden that would then act as a bedroom and shower room for my father. Also widening of the hallway and the front door had to be done along with a few changes of the kitchen to make life easier.
This is where things get a little interesting. Of course, we were told that it may take some time for the council to allow planning permission for these changes. This would mean that my father would now have to be transferred to a specialist care home, while we wait for the council's decision. We were also told that it may take up to a year for the planning permission to be accepted. It came as a hard blow, but my father had come so far and we all wanted to stay positive.
It was decided that the government would pay a large percentage of the extension and changes. The remainder of the cost would be then added to my parent's mortgage.My father was then transferred to Branksome park care centre, Dorset on August the 3rd 2018.
At this point, I should mention that my father had been laid off by his employer (of 20 years) and was receiving no financial help from them at all.
This was due to his incapabilities to work because of the life-changing injury he sustained.
November 2019. Almost 2 years after my father's injury. The planning permission has finally been accepted, the building work has started on the extension and changes are being made to the house.
All while my father, still positive and strong throughout this ordeal, sits in his care homeroom. Daily visits from family and phone calls from relatives pass the time.
BUT and there is a but. The government have somehow forgotten to inform my parents about the flooring costs for the extension. In reasons beyond comprehension, they have
singled out the cost of the flooring. The government have refused to add it to their costs, but also refuse to add it to my parent's mortgage. Thus creating a rather large problem.
My parents will have to pay the upfront cost of the flooring and materials. My dad is unable to work for years to come, staying in a specialist care home. While my mother, still trying to focus on work but understandably struggles due to the psychological effects the accident had on her. So with the incapabilities to raise these funds, the work on the house has been stalled.
Therefore so has my fathers return.
I'm setting up this page in the hope to offer support to my incredible parents. They have been through more than I could ever imagine and I just want them to be able to have their lives back.
A marriage of 35 years, in which almost three of those have been apart. I'm asking for a helping hand in getting my father home where he belongs and hopefully a new start for a family, torn apart over a life-changing injury.
On behalf of me, my family and of course my incredibly brave father Stuart Shenton, thank you for reading this story and thank you in advance for all your kind donations.
Organizer and beneficiary
Liam Shenton
Organizer
Stuart Shenton
Beneficiary