Wittsy & Family

Hi All, see below for a brief story of how things have been for Dave this year. He has had an incredibly tough battle and it would be great if as a community we can give him and his family a boost this Christmas.

The Story of Dave

Dave first complained of a sore/stiff back on his commute rides in the first week of April. This slowly progressed to being unable to move his neck and experiencing severe spasms.

We presented to RPH emergency 4th April and at the time was not given a clear idea of what the cause was. Due to the level of pain the in ability to move his neck and shoulders, it was 24 hours of excruciating pain before they were able to do a MRI. By this stage Dave was already experiencing paralysis and it was evident this was becoming a life-threatening event.

Emergency doctor spoke with Caroline and showed the MRI results. Revealing Dave had a rare and very large spinal chord abscess that ran the length of his spine from the base of his skull to his hips. The only course of action was emergency surgery to clear the abscess. We were told that it may not save Dave or it may have a severe impact on his quality of life going forward.

Covid restrictions meant that their daughters Leah and Brianna were only able to see him for 60 seconds between being transferred from ambulance to Sir Charles gardener hospital. It would be 48 hours before anyone would be allowed to see him again and weeks before the kids were able to visit.

The surgery was successful in clearing the abscess, however Dave awoke in ICU on the 6th April, intubated, paralysed from the neck down and with only the ability to move some fingers on his left hand. It was terrifying. The next 4 days were spent trying to breath independently and fight of the infection that caused the abscess.

10 April, Dave was transferred to the neurological high dependency ward in SCGH, where he landed in the care of a group of angels. The nurses on G66 saved his life, raised his spirits and got him going on his journey of recovery. 15 April Dave first wiggled the toes on his right foot.

The 17th April was Daves 50th Birthday. Due to an unintentional error of the hospital, Dave was exposed to a Covid positive patient and spent his birthday in isolation, unable to move. We managed to have a car park party, cake, presents and balloons, which he could see from his room.

Daves daughters were first able to visit on the 25th April and we all went for an explore around the hospital gardens. Dave had just started to be able to sit up in a wheel chair for short periods of time.

Dave was transferred to the Rehab centre at FSH on the 3rd May. By this stage Dave could sit up, wiggle his toes, move his hands and arms and was ready for more intense physio.

The rehab centre was a bit of a shock. Much less support was available and Dave found himself needing to draw on his own strength and resources to figure out how to start being more independent.

Dave was lucky enough to find some key, great people and qualify for an intensive 12 week study. Through the help of these amazing physios and his own determination by the 10th of May Dave was able to bend his knees, wheel his own wheelchair and on the 23rd of May, he could stand up by using his wheelchair to support the weight. 6 hours of physio 6 days per week was intensely physical and tiring. Dave was always thirsty for more. Nothing would stop him on the road to walking and being able to leave the hospital and come home. In between all the treatments and physio Dave had Caroline, his daughters, his father in law and amazing friends visiting. People who he didn’t expect to, were there for him. He still to this day is very touched and humbled by the support he has received from people that he didn’t know cared. It was a very long few weeks for him.

By the 2nd July, Dave could use crutches to walk short distances and on the 23rd July, walked out of rehab, on his own two feet.

Dave has been home for nearly 4 months and is still as determined as ever to walk again… actually to ride again. Dave has patches of increased feeling below his hips and is currently in the fantastic care of Teneal Attard of Chaotic energy. Together they are increasing his strength and have him walking unaided for short distances. In the near future Dave hopes to return to paid work and move around without the need of an aid.

All the signs point to continued improvement, but as you can understand this is a long and arduous journey. From being a fiercely independent and physical person to facing the current struggle of not driving, not walking and just not being able to have freedom in his day to day life is hard work. We really want to thank everyone who has taken the time to visit or just reach out with support and well wishes. These small gestures of kindness are exactly what drives Dave to keep improving.

Thank you