Byron Low's HydroFlex Chair
Hi;
First of all; we are the 'Low' family from Cardiff & Caerphilly, South Wales, UK. My name is Kimberley, and I am Byron's daughter. My Dad has a wife, Cheryl, who I like to call 'WonderWoman'. My Dad also has 3 sons; my brothers Richard, Nathan and Jake. We are truly blessed to be part of a family of beautiful, caring people who have been of enormous support during Byron's journey.
It goes a little something like this...
On Sunday 5th May 2013, Byron suffered a severe migraine (which he'd become pretty used to), but he knew there was something different about it this time; something worse. After seeing a GP that day, he was taken to Llandough hospital for investigations but had a seizure whilst at the hospital. Without hesitation, he had a CT scan which revealed that he had had an MCA aneurysm in his brain which had burst, as well as a subarachnoid haemorrhage. He was immediately taken to the University Hospital of Wales to undergo major brain surgery. It was believed at this point that he would not even survive the ambulance journey to the hospital.
During those hours we spent in the waiting area of the operating theatre, time stood still. We didn't know what to expect; didn't know if Byron would survive. We were walking along a tightrope, praying we wouldn't lose our balance. It all seemed so unfair when we'd thought that my Dad was so fit, healthy and full of life, never suspecting that there had been this aneurysm there all along. Byron underwent 7 brain procedures that very same day due to complication after complication, as well as countless more medical processes in the days, weeks and months that followed. Each procedure felt like a dangerous dice had been thrown, but we could do nothing but hope and pray for a positive outcome.
During those nail-biting early weeks and months, Byron was first in Intensive Care, then he remained at the University Hospital of Wales in T4 High-Dependency Neurosurgery and B4 Neurosurgery wards. The care teams, nurses, doctors and neurosurgeons were impeccable; they were truly brilliant in delivering everything that Byron needed, as well as providing huge support to us as a family, and they did it all with smiles on their faces. We are truly thankful to them.
Now, we are more than two years on.
Byron has come an incredible way since that time. At the present time, he is still at Rookwood Hospital; a rehabilitation hospital with a specialism in brain injuries. We have nothing but praise for each and every person who plays a huge part in the teams there at Rookwood to ensure my Dad's health, safety and wellbeing; another shining example of the fantastic neurological teams that we are so thankful to the NHS for.
Byron has had a craniectomy, which means that part of his skull has been removed (to allow for swelling in the brain). He now has a large concave area on the right side of his head (or as my 6 year old brother Jake calls it, his 'sandpit'!)
Update: On 28th August 2015, Byron had another brain operation - a cranioplasty surgery, meaning that the 'sandpit' is no more, having had part of his skull replaced with a titanium plate.
We could have posted photos of my Dad to show you this, but we haven't. Why? Because he was always a very private man and we know that he wouldn't appreciate the pictures being made public. We could have posted photos of him with tubes sticking out of just about every part of his body - his head, brain, nose, throat, mouth, arms, legs, back, tummy, groin - you name it, they've stuck a needle, a catheter, a tube or a shunt there. It might have generated more interest, helped to tug your heart strings that little bit more - but, quite simply, Byron would hate it; so as a family, we agreed not to post any pictures.
Byron's mobility is very much restricted. He can't change position by himself when he gets uncomfortable. He has to use a special machine to help him stand up any time he moves from his bed to his chair, with help from two people to use it.
But he can still give me a big hug when I go to visit him.
Byron's expressive communication is highly limited.
But he understands every word you say. We live for the big grins when Cheryl whispers in his ear; the outbursts of laughter when somebody tells a joke; the way he squeezes your hand when you say 'I love you'.
This is Byron's story - you can only imagine how much has been cut out, this is simply an abbreviation of his epic battle.
Now, the reason we want you to share, share, donate and share is that Byron is due to come home in the coming months. When he comes home, he can get up for 4 hours a day to go in his wheelchair, then he will need to go back to bed to maintain his skin integrity. 4 hours! Would you be happy to spend time with your family and friends, to be out of bed for only 4 hours a day?
This is why we want to purchase the HydroFlex chair upon recommendation from Byron's Occupational Therapy team. It will mean that he can spend the day with his family, joining in activities as much as possible but also being able to sleep in the chair when he needs to. We want my Dad to live as close to a normal family life as he possibly can. We have already raised some of the funds we need so we are getting there slowly! But we just need a little more help in achieving our goal.
This is a HydroFlex Chair:
Please, donate if you can. It would make an enormous difference to my Dad's life - and might I add, he was an enormous charity man himself, having done many things for many causes over the years - including lots of sponsored walks, shaving his beard off (a big feat at the time!) and even waxing his legs!
From all of us,
Thank You.