Help Phil Connect

Imagine: one day, life is as you’ve always known it. The next day, you discover you can no longer see, no longer hear, no longer walk. Your world now is dark, silent.

For Phil Thorn, in 2008 that nightmare became a reality. Today he is seeking your help to assist him in raising $25,000 to break through the darkness and silence to connect and engage with the world around him.

Here’s a little of Phil’s story, in his own words:

In 2008, I was living in Queenstown with my family, managing a youth camp and conference centre. I was also enjoying all the stunning outdoor pursuits of this alpine town on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

A fit, healthy and strong character with energy to burn, I was passionate about my family, my work and my faith.

September 26, 2008, my world fell in ashes around me. Suddenly struck down with Meningitis, I landed in Dunedin hospital’s ICU in a coma. For three weeks I lay connected to a life support machine. Doctors were preparing my family to say goodbye and switch off the support.

Thanks to the Master Creator, and the efforts of the medical fraternity, my life was gifted back to me.

But not as I knew it.

Through touching foam letters handed to me, I discovered the horrifying truth: I had entered a very dark and silent world. That silence was broken only by the screaming of Tinnitus in my head. I had also been left paralysed from the waist down and, at that stage, my left arm as well.

For the next nine months, my life was spent in hospitals and rehabilitation centres.

Thanks to an amazing speech therapist at Dunedin’s ISIS Rehabilitation Centre I was introduced to the manual alphabetical hand sign language. The Blind Foundation also gave me the opportunity to learn Braille.

These forms of communication have been a lifeline to me – to be able to communicate with my children, my family, my friends and the world around me. Since completing the Star Braille course, my world has blossomed with so much colour and life.

Operating with adaptive Braille technology I can access the world through an iPhone, check the news, use social media, read books, plus study online. And I’ve been learning to navigate my world using GPS.

How I need your help:

Over the last 18 months I have suffered a number of equipment failures and need to replace my communications technology.

The Brailliant is a display device that allows me to read Braille. The Braille Note Notetaker allows me to write in Braille. Paired with an iPhone and a laptop, these are my vital tools to a world beyond my head.