Back to page

A tooth root infection almost cost Darryl his life. Now he is on a long path to recovery.

  • Final Update

      3 September 2023
    Main image

    A year ago today, Darryl was fighting for his life in Wellington Hospital. He was in the middle of multiples surgeries and the Dr’s told us they were running out of options.

    Today we have so much to celebrate. The last year has been a journey of so many ups and downs, but today we are able to celebrate because Darryl has come such a long way.

    He is now back at work 4 hours a day, 4 days a week and is looking forward to stepping it up again hopefully soon. He is also able to drive again which is a huge milestone.

    This Givealittle page was a massive help to Darryl in the middle of a very dark time, not only financially but equally as importantly with every message of support that encouraged him in a way that we as his family couldn’t.

    Months ago, Darryl told me he wanted to have the final message on this page.

    Today he has asked me to express his gratitude to every person who took the time to read, share and donate. You will never know how much it has meant to him and us.

    As we close this page with heartfelt thanks, we’d also like to remind anyone reading this to please take seriously any issues you may have with your teeth. If you need to, get a second opinion.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • Update on Darryl

      22 November 2022

    Hi everyone. I just wanted to share. Darryl has had a big day today. Yesterday he received a call asking if he could be in Wellington by 7pm last night. Due to a cancellation, he was given the opportunity to have the missing section of skull reconstructed today. His surgery was successful. He is in quite a bit of pain, but hopefully will only be in Wellington 2 or 3 days if all goes well.

    This is a huge milestone and we were expecting it would be February before this happened.

    Darryl will not be able to drive for 6 months from this point. He hasn't been able to anyway, but now he has a date to look forward to.

    In other news. The family has been working since the beginning of Darryls journey to take care of Darryls needs. For the first 6 weeks it was impossible to talk to anyone or access any help as we had no legal authority to do so.

    The first step was to work with a lawyer to get Enduring Power of Attorney. Once that was done, we were able to talk to banks, ACC etc on his behalf.

    Recently ACC approved Darryls claim, but they have since backtracked. We are hoping it is just a case of needing more documentation from the hospital and are still working with them in the hopes we can get resolution. In the meantime, thank you again to everyone who had taken time to read Darryls story, who have shared his page and for every donation big or small. Your kindness has made a huge difference.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • Thank you for your generosity!

      25 October 2022

    We really are thankful for each and every donation. It is definitely taking some of the stress from Darryl.

    Darryl has managed 2 weeks away from hospital now and is slowly managing to do a little bit more. He even managed a short walk the other day. He is celebrating the fact he is no longer hooked up to antibiotics 24/7. He does still have a PICC line in, in case his infection markers go up again.

    Next week he has his next appointment with the Neurologist. Hopefully he will have a better idea of what the next few months look like after that.

    In the meantime he is just taking it quietly and learning to recognise when he has done enough. Sometimes this means cancelling our plans to visit with him as he has reached the limit of what his brain can manage for the day. He is still having Speech Therapy and his speech has improved a great deal, but as soon as he gets tired he finds it more difficult to communicate.

    Once again, thank you to every person who has contributed to this page, either by donating or sharing. We do appreciate it.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • A huge thank you to everyone.

      12 October 2022

    It has been a real lift for Darryl to see the support from each and every one of you.

    Darryl has been making good progress, but hit a bump in the road yesterday.

    He was headache free when he came home from his last surgery 10 days ago, but his headaches have been getting more severe. Yesterday, he had more scans which showed there is more swelling on the brain. The Neurologists are still deciding the best way forward on this. Also, the tests from his last surgery have revealed that the infection in his sinus is a different type to the one on his brain. Again, the Dr's are still deciding the best option for managing this.

    One possibility they have put forward is that he will need to have another surgery in Wellington. We will update you when we know more.

    In the meantime, our heartfelt thanks to you all.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment