Providing help in Nick's recovery and rehabilitation from Guillain Barre Syndrome.
Auckland
A few weeks ago our much loved father, son, brother, friend and more was struck down by Guillain Barre Syndrome... A rare and relatively unknown disorder where his immune system attacks its own nervous system. At this moment he is still fighting to get on top of it with some great support from those closest to him and the staff in ICU at North Shore Hospital.
Whilst we all wait impatiently for a positive turn, when that does happen it is likely the road to recovery and repair of his respiratory and nervous system will not be short.
Nick is a proud and fantastic father and loving partner who will be striving and fighting to be back providing for his family as soon as he can. Those who know him well will also know that he wouldn't seek the attention that a page such as this brings or ask for such help.
But a loving person like Nick deserves the best chance to be back holding his son and running around with him on his shoulders as soon as is physically possible, so I will ignore his little voice in my head this time.
This page is about trying to help make that happen by taking some of the worry and stress away from those first few months of recovery... so that Nick and Shaz can put all their focus and effort into getting better, whilst also looking after their young son and having options as to how they best handle the recovery process.
I'm involved to support someone very close to me, and hopefully help in some way with best the possible recovery process. I also believe that Nick being the person that he is, has many close friends and family members out there wanting to help but wondering how. There are many ways to do so, and this is just one of them for those who choose it.
Any funds raised will be used to help with the rehabilitation process and plug any shortfalls that may arise from not being able to work for an extended period.
GBS being rare, somewhat falls through the cracks when it comes to insurance and/or government support.
The only way is up...! 11 April 2017
Well we certainly have a little hope that this could now be the case. For those that are curious or not aware the past week or two we have finally seen a little positive progress.
Firstly, and most importantly it became apparent that Nick had 'flattened out' so to speak in that his symptoms stabilised. Not long after that they were slowly able to transition Nick back to breathing on his own and eventually remove his tracheotomy! Which has led to him regaining his voice. An exciting development after a long period of being to weak, sick or overtaken by tubes.
Nick is now out of ICU and in a higher care ward. He still has limited/no movement below his shoulders and arms but small signs of progress are there. So, perhaps we can say the recovery process has started, but the road will still be long... with his hospital stay set to continue for a while longer before moving full-time into a rehab centre. Importantly, he is already showing the willpower and determination we never questioned would come out and will no doubt aid him in his recovery.
Whilst there are sure to be many 'bad' days to counter the good over the next few months you can be 100% confident that the generosity shown through this forum has had an undefinably positive impact. Nick, Shaz and his family are lost for words as to how grateful and touched they are by everyone that has given, and hope one day to find a way to portray that to everyone.
For those wondering he is now very much up for visitors, so don't hesitate to reach out to your closest avenue whether it be, Shaz, Mel & Troy, Terry, Steve, Chad, myself or another... We can all point you in the right direction and Nick would love the company.
Love and thanks to all!
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