Rodney has been cruelly handed the toughest fight he will ever have to face - a fight for his life.
Taranaki
Rodney Young…….
Our Hero – in todays world Hero is passed on to people too easily they are rugby players, singers and people who through their own work have become superstars. But a true hero is defined in wikipedia as a person in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness displays courage.
Rodney Young – a true hero. Rodney is married to Janelle and has two wonderful children Ruby 15 and Flynn 12. Rodney is a refridgeration Engineer and a hard grafter he works really hard to provide a great life for his family and really enjoys spending time with them and also getting out on his dirt bike.
Janelle and Rodney have been married for 17 years and together for 27 years they are completely devoted to each other and had many adventures together.
This next chapter of their life together was not written or planned and never expected on Tuesday 31st March 2015 their life changed when Rodney was diagnosed with a very large brain tumour on the right side of his brain.
Rodney had been feeling extremely tired and had terrible headaches 2-3 weeks leading up to this day, he went to see a Dr who said he was low on iron and possibly depressed and they wanted to look at sleep apnea. As a family we knew he definitely wasn’t depressed but thought maybe the other diagnosis could be correct. Rodney slowly got worse over the week and it was Janelles decision with our family Dr to send him to hospital to been seen by the Medical Team. By the time Rodney had got to hospital he was exhausted and had a very acute headache – unfortunately the A&E Dr decided that he was depressed and to go home and rest. Rodney by this time was disorientated and confused, his co-ordination muddled and he was very weak. On arrival home Rodney was unable to recognise his home that they have lived in for many years, after some convincing Rodney went in and fell straight to sleep and slept until morning. The next morning Rodney was no better so Janelle again rung our GP who came round and decided that he needed to be taken to hospital again. Rodney was seen by a Dr who after talking with them both booked him in for an MRI.
That is when Rodneys life and those who love him took a horrendous change and life was no longer normal.
Rodney and Janelle were flown down to Wellington Hospital by Life Flight on Wednesday 1st April 2015 where he met with a team of Nuerosurgeons led by Kelvin Woon. Easter break was an opportunity to gather the family in Wellington and pull together for Rodney. Surgery was planned for Tuesday 7th April 2015. Rodneys tumour was deep in the brain and very large - the surgery would last 9 hours. They were able to get about 75% of the tumour but if they took anymore Rodney’s quality of life would have been deeply affected as he would had possibly lost the use of his left side. Rodney can walk and use his left side but it is weaker than prior to the tumour, Rodney has at this stage lost his vision of his “left world” but he is here and he is fighting. Rodney has been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Rodney is absolutely shattered that he no longer will be able to ride his dirt bike or drive a car. At this stage the Neuro team don’t believe that Rodney will be able to work again – this is news Rodney is not able to fully comprehend and deal with.
Janelle, Rodney and the children had planned holidays – camping around NZ and also returning to Perth where both children were born – they were making plans for their future which now seems a distant dream.
Rodney is a doer, a provider - a provider of love, money and life this has been shaken so violently. Rodney is a proud man, a giver not a “taker” so setting up this page and seeing the amount of friends, family and even strangers supporting Rodney is emotional for him to say the least. Rodney is struggling with this concept of people giving to him financially but he also understands the need for external support. He is already talking about ways he can pay it forward and I know that he will go down this path when he is strong enough to.
Rodney is ready to fight and we are all looking at possible treatments at home and away but nothing is for free, they have a mortagage to pay and children to support - so there is going to be on going costs so this is why this page has been set up – to support Rodney, Janelle, Flynn and Ruby at the most traumatic and hardest time in their lives.
Jill Murdoch has asked me to write up the information for this page. My name is Kylie Albon and Rodney is my brother in-law for the last 27 years. He is a devoted husband, father, brother, son, son in law, brother in law and awesome Uncle.
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