Our friend and all-round legend, Darren Collins started the year by purchasing and starting his new venture “Jim’s Pool Cleaning”. Only weeks in Darren got a blood infection which resulted in him doing a stint in hospital for treatment. This was not the start he was looking for, but coped it on the chin and with a positive attitude was back into it after two weeks on the sidelines.

It was only 4 days later on Tuesday 23rd of Jan when his world would turn upside down. Driving home and feeling some pins and needles in his legs, Darren tried to push through and get home. Once home and trying to get out of the car, Darren started to realise something was very wrong. He was losing all strength and control of his legs which resulted in him collapsing on the driveway.

Darrens partner Anna quickly rushed him to hospital. Darren was deteriorating quickly, having no idea why or what was happening. He was soon diagnosed with “Guillain Barre Syndrome” a condition where the body attacks the nerves. This condition can be fatal, and doctors later told Darren he was not far away from having to be sedated and hooked up to machines to keep him alive. Darren spent the next week in hospital with no feelings or movement in arms and legs, unable to move without assistance. His recovery process is very long which could be 6-12 months or possibly longer. Darren got moved to a rehab facility in Woy Woy where he will undergo extreme physio learning to do the basics all over again.

We all need to get behind this legend and help him out in this tough time. Buying a franchise and trying for a fresh start for his family is a stressful and gutsy decision. To have something like this happen at the very start would be extremely worrying and demanding. We all love big Daz, so if you can help him out in any way please do. Cheers