Dedicated Surf Lifesaver - Amputee needs your help
Donation protected
Derek Baldwin had his right lower leg amputated on December 31st, 2018 and needs our help with costs of things like a wheelchair and the accessories that are required for an amputee chair, crutches and the eventual prosthesis. Not to mention the renovations at home so Derek can get through the doorways which will allow him to get to the toilet and the shower. These are all costly and have eaten into his personal savings. Derek has not been able to work for some time because of the pain the infection caused which led to his amputation.
Derek has dedicated his life to helping others through Surf Life Saving.
His voluntary surf lifesaving life started back in 1990 when he was awarded his Bronze Medallion. Derek was part of the last squad to train and use the rescue reel, Line and Belt.
He was a very diligent patrol member and after only two seasons he became the club’s Clubhouse Director. His awards during the following years are nothing but remarkable:
Bronze Medallion Trainer 1995
Advanced Resuscitation Certificate1997
Chief Instructor-1997
Senior First Aid-1998
Tallebudgera Club Captain-1998-2001
Assessor-Bronze & ARC(Advanced Resuscitation Certificate)1999-2000
IRB Driver-1998
Trainer IRB-1998
Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training-2004
Assessor IRB-2005
Left Club due to work Commitments-2007-2012
Renewed Membership-December 2012
Acting Vice Captain-February 2013-May 2013
Chief Training Officer-2013-Present
Emergency Care Trainer (First Aid & ART) Casual Trainer paid by SLSQ(ALAQ) 2014 & 2016 respectively until Present.
IRB TACO(Trainer Assessor Coordinator)-2016-17-Present
Point Danger Branch Patrol Inspection Committee-2018-19
Club Management & Executive Committees -1998-2001 & 2013-Present.
Derek has held numerous Assessments at other Clubs since1999, including over 15 years at Point Danger Branch where he holds the distinction of assessing more awards than any other assessor within the Branch. He was awarded SLSQ Point Danger Branch President’s Award for his contribution to the Branch in the area of Training and Assessment. He truly is an invaluable asset not only for his beloved club Tallebudgera SLSC but his local Point Danger Branch as well.
It is now at this stage in his life that Derek needs our help. He has given all his life so let's give back to Derek with a helping hand. One thing that is becoming a real problem for Derek and his wife Miriam is the upkeep of the gardens and surrounds. Recently a group of Tallebudgera Life Members went around and worked for a day in the garden. There are trees that need to be pruned and even removed. The backyard is sloped and difficult terrain for someone with two legs never mind one. This is costly to say the least and every cent will go a long way.
Please read about Derek's Story written by himself:
Around 2013-14, I started feeling very tender between the first & second little toe underneath on the sole of my foot. The area was about the size of a twenty-cent coin & looked darker in the area, purple in colour. One day I got home from work, sat on a chair & pulled my socks off & the Arterial Venous Malformation(AVM) broke the skin & the Artery sprayed out-I could have painted my name on a nearby wall. I spent about half an hour grabbing a towel, applying pressure & cleaning up the blood, which filled about 2 beach towels. I dressed the wound after it stopped bleeding & over the next 3-5 weeks it healed. This happened a couple of times (once when I was driving an IRB in a training session) & was always sore & tender before the skin broke & then it would progressively get better.
I went to my GP at the time who tried to cauterise it but it just kept bleeding & he had trouble stopping it so after that he gave me a referral to Gold Coast Hospital. They explained what it was called & that it was a generic name for a mass of Arteries & veins bundled in a loose ball & you could get them anywhere on your body-head, arm, leg & foot & they don’t know what causes them. They booked me in for my first of 14 Surgeries, a Procedure basically called an “Embolization” of my right foot where under a General Anaesthetic, they inserted a very thin wire/tube through the Artery in my right groin & ran it down to the area under my foot where the AVM was. They would insert collars & Stents or inject Ethanol, which would destroy the bad tissue. They would have to move slowly (each procedure took about 2-3 hours) because if they injected the wrong nerve I would lose a toe. This was April 2015 & I was to average 3 Operations a year until 2018.
After that second surgery I had 3-4 weeks off & tried to go back to work but only lasted 3 days as my wound would not stop bleeding. I wanted to start back to work gradually over 3-4 weeks but Work insisted I either could put a Work Boot on or not but I couldn’t so I had my first stretch off work on Income Protection Insurance. After 6 months or so I would go back to work-everything would heal but the AVM would come back, grow & break through the skin & bleed. I would go back to the Surgeon & after a few follow-up Appointments & usually an MRI scan, he would sign me in for more Surgery. In January 2017 he tried attacking the AVM with a Scalpel after which I was on Crutches for 7 weeks but that didn’t work either & the AVM grew back again. Around July that year, I was again on Income Protection for the second stint(which lasted 14 Months),I had yet another Appointment with the Surgeon (Dr. Butcher!) who first mentioned that in a worst-case scenario I could lose my lower right leg. I was shattered & couldn’t accept at that time that I could lose it-I went into depression & was put on a course of Anti-Depressants for about 2 months. I had another Embolization on the Foot & I asked the Surgeon to go in aggressively as he could. I wanted him to get as much of the AVM as he could but he said they could hit a nerve & kill one of my toes-I said go for it.
I woke up in Recovery in a lot of pain so I knew they had been very aggressive & I remained in great pain for the next 4-5 weeks until they amputated my first little toe which had died-this was November 2017 & finally after 14 months off, I went back to work end of January 2018. After 6 weeks at work my foot started to hurt again & I knew the AVM was growing back again. I got another referral from my new Doctor for Dr Butcher at the GCH(Gold Coast Hospital) & after several follow-up Appointments, I had another MRI scan which confirmed what I had known for months-it was back again. Dr ordered yet another Embolization & I had my last Surgery before my Leg Amputation in October 2018. Just before my Surgery, I went on my 3rd & last portion of my 2-year maximum stint which was to run out mid-December 2018. What was I going to live on & pay Bills after December?
Again I woke up in a lot of pain as they had nicked the nerve to my 2nd little toe-I ended up in the hospital for 2 days because of the pain. Again I was in constant pain & on a cocktail of Painkillers for 6 weeks-at worst I was taking Pain-killers every 4 hours & again was on the endless cycle of follow-up Appointments until mid-November 2018 when, with 3 Surgeons present they could not guarantee, even with 3-4 toes gone or with half a foot remaining, that the AVM wouldn’t come back. It was at this point I decided that with my Income Protection ending in December, I needed some certainty in my future & my Employer had been so patient & understanding I wanted to move on with my life with positives. In early December 2018, I consented to have my lower leg amputated & the Doctor there tried to talk me out of it but I said I had had enough. They gave me the worst-case scenarios if Surgery wasn’t successful but I was positive I wanted to move on. They put me on the Category one list which is surgery within 4 weeks but definitely after Christmas. At this stage I had been walking on the heal of my right foot for about 8 months-I was even driving my car with my right big toe on the Brake & accelerator. My 2nd little toe was dead & black & that was the cause of my constant heavy pain.
I got just over 2 weeks notice of my Amputation & the date was December 31st at around 2pm. The waiting time went very quickly & finally, the day arrived. I woke up around 6 am & was almost ready around 9 am when I got a call-could I come in sooner; there had been a cancellation so in I went. I was wheeled to the little room outside the Operating Theatre & Nurses started prepping me for Surgery with Cannulas, etc. They then wheeled me into the Theatre where I was met by the Surgeon who was going to do the Amputation, her name is Vivian. I was also given an Epidural, the same as Pregnant Mothers giving Birth, to help with the recovery pain & then I was given the gas & next thing I woke up in recovery & NO PAIN!!! Unexpectedly, my Wife was also waiting to see me & we were so happy! I had 4 tubes in me; one was a drain for the wound, one was saline & the other two were for pain. They took all but one tube out of me by the 3rd day, the last one being the pain drip, which they finally removed towards the end of the 4th day. I was at the GC Hospital for 8 days before they transferred me to Robina Hospital for Rehabilitation. I was there for another 5 weeks before being discharged in early February with my Wife visiting me every day.
Even to this day, apart from the remaining Painkillers, I am still on, I have been pain-free for the longest time in 4 years & don’t regret having my Below Knee Amputation(BKA) at all. I am hoping to be fitted with one normal Prosthetic leg for every day & one waterproof leg for Surf lifesaving. Onwards & Upwards I say!
Derek has dedicated his life to helping others through Surf Life Saving.
His voluntary surf lifesaving life started back in 1990 when he was awarded his Bronze Medallion. Derek was part of the last squad to train and use the rescue reel, Line and Belt.
He was a very diligent patrol member and after only two seasons he became the club’s Clubhouse Director. His awards during the following years are nothing but remarkable:
Bronze Medallion Trainer 1995
Advanced Resuscitation Certificate1997
Chief Instructor-1997
Senior First Aid-1998
Tallebudgera Club Captain-1998-2001
Assessor-Bronze & ARC(Advanced Resuscitation Certificate)1999-2000
IRB Driver-1998
Trainer IRB-1998
Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training-2004
Assessor IRB-2005
Left Club due to work Commitments-2007-2012
Renewed Membership-December 2012
Acting Vice Captain-February 2013-May 2013
Chief Training Officer-2013-Present
Emergency Care Trainer (First Aid & ART) Casual Trainer paid by SLSQ(ALAQ) 2014 & 2016 respectively until Present.
IRB TACO(Trainer Assessor Coordinator)-2016-17-Present
Point Danger Branch Patrol Inspection Committee-2018-19
Club Management & Executive Committees -1998-2001 & 2013-Present.
Derek has held numerous Assessments at other Clubs since1999, including over 15 years at Point Danger Branch where he holds the distinction of assessing more awards than any other assessor within the Branch. He was awarded SLSQ Point Danger Branch President’s Award for his contribution to the Branch in the area of Training and Assessment. He truly is an invaluable asset not only for his beloved club Tallebudgera SLSC but his local Point Danger Branch as well.
It is now at this stage in his life that Derek needs our help. He has given all his life so let's give back to Derek with a helping hand. One thing that is becoming a real problem for Derek and his wife Miriam is the upkeep of the gardens and surrounds. Recently a group of Tallebudgera Life Members went around and worked for a day in the garden. There are trees that need to be pruned and even removed. The backyard is sloped and difficult terrain for someone with two legs never mind one. This is costly to say the least and every cent will go a long way.
Please read about Derek's Story written by himself:
Around 2013-14, I started feeling very tender between the first & second little toe underneath on the sole of my foot. The area was about the size of a twenty-cent coin & looked darker in the area, purple in colour. One day I got home from work, sat on a chair & pulled my socks off & the Arterial Venous Malformation(AVM) broke the skin & the Artery sprayed out-I could have painted my name on a nearby wall. I spent about half an hour grabbing a towel, applying pressure & cleaning up the blood, which filled about 2 beach towels. I dressed the wound after it stopped bleeding & over the next 3-5 weeks it healed. This happened a couple of times (once when I was driving an IRB in a training session) & was always sore & tender before the skin broke & then it would progressively get better.
I went to my GP at the time who tried to cauterise it but it just kept bleeding & he had trouble stopping it so after that he gave me a referral to Gold Coast Hospital. They explained what it was called & that it was a generic name for a mass of Arteries & veins bundled in a loose ball & you could get them anywhere on your body-head, arm, leg & foot & they don’t know what causes them. They booked me in for my first of 14 Surgeries, a Procedure basically called an “Embolization” of my right foot where under a General Anaesthetic, they inserted a very thin wire/tube through the Artery in my right groin & ran it down to the area under my foot where the AVM was. They would insert collars & Stents or inject Ethanol, which would destroy the bad tissue. They would have to move slowly (each procedure took about 2-3 hours) because if they injected the wrong nerve I would lose a toe. This was April 2015 & I was to average 3 Operations a year until 2018.
After that second surgery I had 3-4 weeks off & tried to go back to work but only lasted 3 days as my wound would not stop bleeding. I wanted to start back to work gradually over 3-4 weeks but Work insisted I either could put a Work Boot on or not but I couldn’t so I had my first stretch off work on Income Protection Insurance. After 6 months or so I would go back to work-everything would heal but the AVM would come back, grow & break through the skin & bleed. I would go back to the Surgeon & after a few follow-up Appointments & usually an MRI scan, he would sign me in for more Surgery. In January 2017 he tried attacking the AVM with a Scalpel after which I was on Crutches for 7 weeks but that didn’t work either & the AVM grew back again. Around July that year, I was again on Income Protection for the second stint(which lasted 14 Months),I had yet another Appointment with the Surgeon (Dr. Butcher!) who first mentioned that in a worst-case scenario I could lose my lower right leg. I was shattered & couldn’t accept at that time that I could lose it-I went into depression & was put on a course of Anti-Depressants for about 2 months. I had another Embolization on the Foot & I asked the Surgeon to go in aggressively as he could. I wanted him to get as much of the AVM as he could but he said they could hit a nerve & kill one of my toes-I said go for it.
I woke up in Recovery in a lot of pain so I knew they had been very aggressive & I remained in great pain for the next 4-5 weeks until they amputated my first little toe which had died-this was November 2017 & finally after 14 months off, I went back to work end of January 2018. After 6 weeks at work my foot started to hurt again & I knew the AVM was growing back again. I got another referral from my new Doctor for Dr Butcher at the GCH(Gold Coast Hospital) & after several follow-up Appointments, I had another MRI scan which confirmed what I had known for months-it was back again. Dr ordered yet another Embolization & I had my last Surgery before my Leg Amputation in October 2018. Just before my Surgery, I went on my 3rd & last portion of my 2-year maximum stint which was to run out mid-December 2018. What was I going to live on & pay Bills after December?
Again I woke up in a lot of pain as they had nicked the nerve to my 2nd little toe-I ended up in the hospital for 2 days because of the pain. Again I was in constant pain & on a cocktail of Painkillers for 6 weeks-at worst I was taking Pain-killers every 4 hours & again was on the endless cycle of follow-up Appointments until mid-November 2018 when, with 3 Surgeons present they could not guarantee, even with 3-4 toes gone or with half a foot remaining, that the AVM wouldn’t come back. It was at this point I decided that with my Income Protection ending in December, I needed some certainty in my future & my Employer had been so patient & understanding I wanted to move on with my life with positives. In early December 2018, I consented to have my lower leg amputated & the Doctor there tried to talk me out of it but I said I had had enough. They gave me the worst-case scenarios if Surgery wasn’t successful but I was positive I wanted to move on. They put me on the Category one list which is surgery within 4 weeks but definitely after Christmas. At this stage I had been walking on the heal of my right foot for about 8 months-I was even driving my car with my right big toe on the Brake & accelerator. My 2nd little toe was dead & black & that was the cause of my constant heavy pain.
I got just over 2 weeks notice of my Amputation & the date was December 31st at around 2pm. The waiting time went very quickly & finally, the day arrived. I woke up around 6 am & was almost ready around 9 am when I got a call-could I come in sooner; there had been a cancellation so in I went. I was wheeled to the little room outside the Operating Theatre & Nurses started prepping me for Surgery with Cannulas, etc. They then wheeled me into the Theatre where I was met by the Surgeon who was going to do the Amputation, her name is Vivian. I was also given an Epidural, the same as Pregnant Mothers giving Birth, to help with the recovery pain & then I was given the gas & next thing I woke up in recovery & NO PAIN!!! Unexpectedly, my Wife was also waiting to see me & we were so happy! I had 4 tubes in me; one was a drain for the wound, one was saline & the other two were for pain. They took all but one tube out of me by the 3rd day, the last one being the pain drip, which they finally removed towards the end of the 4th day. I was at the GC Hospital for 8 days before they transferred me to Robina Hospital for Rehabilitation. I was there for another 5 weeks before being discharged in early February with my Wife visiting me every day.
Even to this day, apart from the remaining Painkillers, I am still on, I have been pain-free for the longest time in 4 years & don’t regret having my Below Knee Amputation(BKA) at all. I am hoping to be fitted with one normal Prosthetic leg for every day & one waterproof leg for Surf lifesaving. Onwards & Upwards I say!
Organizer and beneficiary
Brad Lund
Organizer
Elanora QLD
Derek Baldwin
Beneficiary
