Charlie's Recovery, Eleven Months On..
8 September 2026
Hi everyone, my apologies for so long between updates. It's fair to say it has been a very long and heartbreaking journey, and one that has been very overwhelming and traumatic for us both. Charlie was released from hospital on the 27th of December, and spent the next 3 months recovering to be well enough to travel home to Oamaru. The input from ACC has been the bare minimum with significant delays so far, so I wish to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us along the way, as your assistance has been invaluable. It's meant that I've been able to get Charlie to weekly osteopath and accupuncture appointments in Dunedin and other rehab, none of which has been funded by ACC. We are currently trying to get him into the Wilson Home, which is a specialist paediatric rehab in Auckland. Unfortunately, Charlie was denied access to this service for reasons that cannot be disclosed. I'm horrified by what has happened and am trying my hardest to get to the bottom of this, so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
I believe that had he been able to attend earlier, his recovery would be looking vastly different now. On a positive note, his mobility and weightbearing ability has improved significantly over the past few weeks, and he is now able to walk short distances unassisted, and is able to use the crutches for the bulk of his movements. As his bones are still growing and he has youth on his side, we are hopeful for a good outcome :-)
