August 17th Update
18 August 2026
Hello,
I wanted to share with everyone an incredible milestone, yesterday Otto was medically cleared to leave Starship Childrens Hospital and transported to Wilson Centre, a pediatric rehabilitation centre on the cliffs of Takapuna, where he’ll begin an intensive recovery phase.
Staff at Starship can’t believe this milestone. Three weeks ago, the medical team was preparing the ICU until the end of August, with staying at Starship well beyond his little brother’s birth being the plan. His progress has been miraculous and now the reality of how long recovery may take, and the unknowns around the final outcome, are starting to sink in. While there are still plenty of unknowns, and the road ahead is long, the family is energized by the fact that three weeks ago, today wasn’t even a consideration.
We are still a ways from Otto coming home but your help and support has meant so much to the family. There aren't enough ways to thank you, we are grateful that Otto may be able to do so in person one day.
