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Can you help us help Laura, Greg, Tadhg & Teagan

  • March Update - P6

      20 March 2024

    These last 6 months we have seen so much trauma and pain, experienced grief that cant be explained in words and cried for endless hours .

    Now that we are home , and even though tadhg is still not yet the boy he was, we are all beginning this new phase of recovery with more hope.

    Don’t get me wrong it’s still super challenging and we are exhausted. The daily grind is relentless and our life’s have changed forever. We need 24/7 support and 2:1 for Tadhg during days.

    That said, we will battle alongside you Mr T and wraparound you so you have the best possible therapies and systems and support. Improvements can and are happening daily and weekly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Thanks again to all the people who have supported and helped us along the way and are continuing to - we are grateful beyond words 🙏🙏🙏🙏

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  • March update - P5

      20 March 2024

    Since home, his is able to go outside freely, ( after confinement in hospitals and Wilson’s when he was not allowed to leave inside space) play ball, jump on the trampoline, walk around a safe environment in home and outside. Also Tadhg has been out to the park a few times for a kick and run around ( and he loves this- loads of happy sounds) and he has had his first time in a car this weekend after 6 months, which went well and he smiled.

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  • March Update - P4

      20 March 2024

    His dance moves are improving. And his love of music remains.

    We know when he is hungry and

    He is eating well once time given time to process what it is.

    He follows some cues now. Whether following you, or directing his attention to something he drops.

    He still slaps every day, but mostly mum, but with pure love in his face ( for the most part!) . He is beginning to be very vocal with sounds , to the point that one support worker has thought he said “mummy” and in the last few days little significant agitation.

    Teagan has has a few brief times in the room with him too and manageable with 3-4 adults.

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  • March Update - P3

      20 March 2024

    Then home on Friday 1March. What a tearful day! We finally made it home.

    He is still significantly cognitively impaired , non-verbal and no understanding of language or even simple instruction and is incontinent.

    However here’s the positive - Since moving back to our home Tadhg has become less agitated. This certainly makes the day to day a little less challenging than it was in Auckland.

    It could be familiar surroundings here in our house, or is it because, everything is a little bit calmer and safer here for him.

    He is on the floor beginning to inspect toys. The length of his attention and focus has improved. He can sit still for longer times.

    His interactions with all my friends and support workers are positive.

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  • March Update - P2

      20 March 2024

    Given the lack of Occupational therapy to consider how tadhg would travel as no therapist would even sit him in a car, a decision was made that tadhg was to be intubated , so back on ventilator and under a General Aesthetic for the medical flight. He remained the ventilator for 36 hours. When he came off it took him 10 hours to wake up. ICU Doctors were about to place him back on it and breathing issues developed due to stridor and secretions. Thankfully he cleared his throat the more awake he became , and we had only a short stay in the hospital as not a conducive environment for tadhg to remain.

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  • Update - March P1

      20 March 2024

    Six month ago on the 18th sept 2023 our lives changed! Our confident, chatty and intelligent boy suffered an acquired brain injury from encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

    Our recovery has been beyond challenging, going from a state of unresponsiveness and inability to focus on anything in his environment including our faces, though differing stages of hallucinations, bed burns, crying, hurting himself and others, being held down to sleep, being grappled MMA style to eat, learning to sit up, standing & then walking again. A move to Auckland was not what we expected it to be. Living separately as a family, little respite initially and serious safety issues and all the while Tadhg was agitated and lost in his environment, and biting himself and hitting and biting us. Dosing him up on what we felt was unnecessary medications and no experience in the type of rehabilitation Tadhg needed. Battling with disability support and Health NZ for better options and support given no where in the NZ medical system for Tadhg.

    The transfer back from Auckland to Christchurch was very difficult on Wednesday 28th February.

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  • Thank You

      31 January 2024

    Hi Everyone,

    Thank you all so so much for all of the support.

    To all the Irish Mammies stepping in helping the family while they’re in Auckland - childcare for Teagan, meal trains and general support for Laura and Greg. For everyone who has donated your contribution is helping make this transition to the next phase so much easier.

    We are all truly grateful.

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    • 11/02/2024 by Sonya

      I had exactly the same thing happen to our family. Was years ago now but the similarities are starke. What I would like to say is the sooner to reach out to other parents who have had similar or the same situations the better. Nobody knows how to navigate this health system like an experienced parent. You might want to start with registering with "Parent to Parent" , there in Auckland and in Chch. I wouldn't hesitate to connect with you to help in any way. But not sure how to make contact

  • Update from Laura. Part 4

      5 January 2024

    We are now reviewing options to looking into what private care facility options.

    And / or new suitable home for us as a family n chch with two separate living areas and F/T carers .

    This is all so incredibly hard.

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    • 11/02/2024 by Sonya

      I wish you well in your endeavours. May all the Gods have your back and bless you with the right people to assist you with your new journey

  • Update from Laura. Part 3

      5 January 2024

    There seems to be a gap in the medical system and no one wants to help Tadhg

    And we are at a loss as to what to do and what steps to take next.

    It is not yet a manageable situation to have Tadhg at home, (in milford or Christchurch) and then of course there is the consideration of how it will work with Teagan, who is his 2 year old sister. We have had a friend up over the holiday period looking after her but she leaves back to work on 8 January.

    At the moment Tadhg needs 2 f/t carers. With Dad having to return to work for financial reasons as we have both not worked since this happened in mid September 2023. We are paying our mortgage in Christchurch and rent in a seperate accommodation in Milford in Auckland so we can have our daughter teagan here.

    At all times we have one parent in a parent accommodation bedroom where Tadhg sleeps in Wilson’s. Wilsons provide only respite sporadically for one - two hours in the parent accommodation. I think Tadhg situation needs to be managed by medical professionals in an environment that is conducive to his cognitive impairment.

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  • Update from Laura. Part2

      5 January 2024

    Dec Wilson’s facility advised Tadhg needed to be assessed at STARSHIP. Mainly because of safety, he had a fall and the episodes of dropping & his agitation levels thus needing a review of medication.

    After 1 night in a very small room, Tadhg was severely agitated and starship was not conducive to his altered mental status /impairment. He needs a lot of space to pace to wind down.

    After his lumbar puncture and MRI RESULTS showed no additional medical issues causing agitation and dropping to floor are likely catatonia , the consultant at Starship just tweaked medication and advised that Tadhg is not acute, and the environment is not suitable and they really do not have the staffing to keep Tadhg admitted. He then contacted Wilson’s who would not agree to having Tadhg back onsite as a safety risk and they are a rehab environment, and they are of the view he is not yet cognitive for rehabilitation.

    I then got on the phone with Wilson’s and did not let up until we got him back here. Even though I managed to get the okay, the issue now is that we do not know for how long as Wilson’s are advising if he is a safety risk then they will immediately ship him back to starship, but starship have advised that tadhg being agitated is not acute so are likely to not accept the transfer. Also Wilsons’s are of the view that he is not cognitive for rehab so this is not the right fit for him.

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  • Update from Laura. Part 1

      5 January 2024

    Though he has come some way and we are so grateful every day that he's still with us, so much has changed. Our clever, chatty, silly, singing and fun-loving boy no longer speaks and is cognitively impaired. His acquired brain injury leaving him with a new onset of memory loss, psychosis, catatonic episodes and altered mental status. He is now so cognitively impaired he doesn’t comprehend very much at the moment.

    He is getting very frustrated (slaps and bites) -hurting himself and us during these episodes. We are all recipients of many many bruises. He needs assistance with all activities of daily living including toileting, he eats well but not coordinating and has no safety awareness, he runs, climbs on furniture and fall over often . Recently he split his lip and also has carpet burn all over his face. Tadgh needs constant supervision and support. He is like a toddler many ways but can pull heavy furniture and items around. He has no interest in toy or resources and in rehab he mostly seeks interaction from people. He won’t sit in a wheelchair without getting severely agitated since he began to walk ( on 9 November) but also is very difficult to lead from one place to another. We currently struggle to get him anywhere. We have not had any outings or left the facility. Nor has this been suggested or any equipment to support Tadhg’s movement. We are current in parent accommodation on site at Wilson’s supported only with a respite hour here and there.

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  • Update 2

      8 November 2023

    Hi Everyone,

    Sorry there has been no update for a while.

    Here is the latest from Laura:

    One day left in Christchurch hospital before we make the big move to Wilson’s brain recovery facility in Auckland.

    Tadhg’s pincer grip today is coming along nicely.

    Greg & I would just like to thank @everyone along this journey and especially Nicola Flanagan and John Menary who organised a very successful Quiz night for tadhg’s fundraising last night. John & Nic will finalise the amount and share soon I’m sure, but it was a seriously outstanding effort. To the sponsors we are very thankful And to all of you can turned out to support us it is very touching. The suppport that has been shown to our family we are truely greatly appreciative for.

    We can only hope that the improvements continue week by week and that a more intensive rehabilitation plan (which is not available in Christchurch or the South Island) can assist alongside the brain's own ability to re-wire some or all of the pathways. We have youth on our side and a determined boy.

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  • Update 1

      28 September 2023

    Hi everyone,

    First of all thank you so so much for kindness and generosity! Laura, Greg & the two kids are forever grateful!

    An update from Laura is below:

    The MRI has shown some damage to the connectors to the body /pathways to control the body in the brain like the cabling of the brain. This thinking part is firing but the MRI can’t show the extent of the damage to the connectors. All is following the pattern of what encephalitis could potentially do ( although can’t say definitively that no additional damage to the same receptors has been caused by the prolonged seizure - though it usually shows slightly different. )

    More test results to come from bloods and lumbar puncture and if autoimmune encephalitis is detected then a steroid and some other iv treatment would be started ( likely tomorrow!)

    Either way this will be a long recovery and tadhg won’t be leaving hospital for weeks maybe months.

    The studies show 2/3 of kids recover well, but the other 1/3 can be left with a range of disabilities and /or brain damage.

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    • 28/09/2023 by Fiona

      Thinking of ye all, wishing you a speedy recovery Tadhg! Thoughts and prayers are with ye, I will light a wee candle for you🙏