Andy suffered a stroke in March 2022, out of the blue, right in front of the kids.

We were told he’s not going to survive it, but he did

We were told he will never walk and talk again, proved them wrong again

Andy’s still working hard to improve his mobility and his speech, he has come so incredibly far already but it’s a very long and difficult journey for all of us.

There was an awful lot of struggles over the past 4 years, it is incredibly challenging to adapt to a life that was totally unknown to us all. Andy hated the fact he was unable to communicate; he hated the fact he was unable to move or to do the smallest of tasks without help, he hated the wheelchair…. It was extremely challenging.

One day Andy stumbled across a video on Facebook about a self-balancing chair (the Hoss chair) that looked absolutely incredible, his face lit up, he saw a chance to get a little bit of his independence back.

Andy has always been a very active, very outdoorsy, and very social person, he served in the Territorial Army, he run his private security company, worked at the Olympic games in South-Korea and in Tokyo, loads and loads of great adventures.

As a family, we have spent loads of time hiking around the country since the kids were very little, around the lakes, up the hills and mountains, by rivers, canals and the coast.

Due to the stroke all has changed, unable to go anywhere, struggle just to get out of the house for an hour. Even now that he can walk short distances on the good days, it is extremely limited to circumstances such as smooth surface, fully flat surface, absolutely no hills or uneven surface, definitely no steps, not busy (loads of interaction and stimulation wear him out quickly and completely) places, not cold or damp as it has impact on the functioning muscles.

And of course, he has to rely on us to go anywhere, there goes his independence, which is a very hard thing to accept at the age of 45.

But..

After trialling the Hoss chair we realised how much it would help Andy to regain some of his independence, to regain his confidence, and that sense of adventure he always had, larger than life character he was and still is behind the realisation of his limits. Andy has suffered from depression during those long hospital months, with the aphasia it is extremely difficult to talk about feelings, worries, just in general how he is , there are only the physical signs, his face that can tell you when he is feeling down or being happy and optimistic. The chair brought that smile back again, it is more than just a mode of transport or a mobility equipment to Andy, it is a little bit of hope for some kind of normality, hope for a future that worth looking forward to.

And here comes the big reason we are here, to ask for your kind help to make this possible for Andy.

Without going into too much detail, the cost of 4 years of private rehabilitations, speech therapies, equipment, becoming a one-salary household, living cost etc. has consumed most of our savings, despite being careful with what we have, limits have been reached and without kind help and donations we are unable to afford the chair for Andy. The HOSS chair cost £20,000 supplied by a wonderful team at Adapt Ability, every penny from this fundraiser will be put towards to buying a chair for Andy and to have that smile back permanently :-)

With this chair outdoorsy lifestyle is a strong possibility again, spending quality time with his family and friends, getting around the local area independently. The chair has a robust safety system and easy to handle with the agility of an indoor chair with its compact size and tight turning circle. But you also get excellent off-road capability, as the two wheels allow him to travel over multiple terrains and easy to transport in a car.

He tried mobility scooters and power chairs, these all have limitations for controls, terrains and not to mention transport (in case you are thinking he is just going for the fancy option ).

Andy`s medical journey:

A left total anterior circulatory stroke with malignant MCA, a life-threatening condition where extensive infarction leads to severe cerebral edema, typically causing rapid clinical deterioration, it carries up to 80% mortality. Andy underwent life-saving decompressive craniotomy surgery (removal of a large section of the skull to relieve dangerous, high pressure inside the brain caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke. It allows the brain to swell outward rather than being squeezed.) He spent several weeks in intensive care, then 8 months in hospital.

Despite the (very bad) odds and expectation, Andy become stronger and with determination he finally came home.

The hard work however only just began. At the time of the hospital discharge Andy`s right side was still paralysed, very little movement in the right leg, no movement in the right shoulder, arm and hand. Although we have a lot to thank our NHS for, his predictions and outlook was not bright at all, with very little hope for improvement in his condition (his consultants still call him a miracle ) .

Thanks to private neurological physiotherapy rehabilitation (Motion Rehab) Andy now able to walk short distances, his balance has improved, his body strength is better but the intense and sudden fatigue that is associated with the brain injury and the muscle weakness are still a very big part of his reality, and has not gained any improvement in his right arm.

Andy also suffers from severe aphasia (a language disorder caused by brain damage—from the stroke —that impairs speaking, writing, and understanding language. It does not affect intelligence, but it frequently causes immense frustration and communication barriers.) The stroke has caused catastrophic injury to the speech centre of his brain, so communication is extremely difficult.

These years have taught us so much, how your entire life can change in a second, how your future and your dreams can be taken away in a heartbeat, and how incredibly hard to change and adapt your life, and just to keep it together…

But hard lessons make tough people, how true this is …

All 4 of us have learned to cope, change and carry on.

And with will and determination, the impossible turned out to be possible.

I’m sad that life has thrown such a curve ball to us but very grateful and proud that we have not crumbled to bits. I’m proud of every bit of success over the past years because we worked extra hard for them, all 4 of us did

Thank you very much for reading Andy`s story, it is long and still just a nutshell of what he had to go through over the years and doesn't even get close to the wider impact on our family, the kids and so on ...

We very much appreciate you have taken your time and we are grateful for every help we get, no matter how small or big it is.

https://www.myadaptability.co.uk/?fbclid=IwRlRTSARcZ-tleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeuF6ORgUBfyCxM_xWjYIlcHWt5YNCZGTdoee4_mxiiyBZcjltc4vMrKY0WXM_aem_j5k7TvgzPs4oVY65MJmDRQ