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Help Ryan Rebuild His Life After Stroke leading to Locked-In Syndrome

  • Discharge is finally here!!!

      8 February 2026

    Hey All! A small update on Ryan & his progress.

    We are happy to be gearing up for discharge this week; Ryan will sadly be leaving his home of Whangarei to a beautiful rehabilitation facility in the outskirts of Auckland, there he will get to enjoy home life again, living with a small group of others working towards personal independence & enjoyment of life. Ryan is looking forward to having his own room, out of the way of beeping machines, constant noise, grief and general hospital life. It’s been a long 8 months but the progression made in that time is outstanding.

    Ryan now spends most of his days sitting in his wheelchair, he is communicating verbally with more words being added to his vocabulary each day. Ryan’s able to use his left hand quite well, his right is following along nicely and we are nothing but positive for the rest of his recovery.

    For Ryan, leaving Whangarei will be sad, he has built up a beautiful community of support within the hospital, church & his life pre-stroke:

    We want to shout out Isaak, his mate for being a pillar of strength and support for Ryan, his mum and sister. We can’t thank you enough Isaak, your the definition of a true friend.

    Whangarei Hospital - The specialist, ICU team, the amazing nurses, care providers, social workers, OT team, cleaners, - every single person at the Hospital who helped Ryan progress - thank you deeply and dearly.

    There aren’t words for what you’ve done, how you’ve supported and advocated for Ryan.

    Aroha Nui

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  • Ryan’s progress so far!

      2 December 2025

    Hey all! Thanks so far for your continued support towards Ryan’s healing. Ryan has progressed massively in the last few months, he can now move his left arm, he can touch his face and continues to gain new movement in it daily. His speech is improving, he has been practising and has a list of about 20 words he has learnt, the more he practices the clearer his speech will

    get. Ryan’s been able to sit in his wheelchair at longer interviews and is looking forward to getting out of hospital. 6 months of sharing a room with upwards of 10 people and nurses has been a challenge, Ryan’s looking forward to the independence he’ll gain once this part of the chapters over. Doctors are currently arranging Ryan’s transfer, hopefully this will be done by the end of the year, currently funding is the biggest road block. In that being said, Ryan and I (Demelza) are determinedly working towards getting Ryan the best care; the best rehab & the best shot at a life of independence. Thank you again from Ryan, and his little sister Demelza. God bless!

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