Lochie's Journey

Hi, my name is Kathryn and I am raising funds to help our friend Lochie Pratt and his family. I hope you can help us!

Lochie is a young man from Hay, NSW who has his whole life ahead of him. At 19, he had just commenced a new job at the local council, and was looking forward to what the future had in store, when he was cut down by an incredibly rare bacteria (arcanobacterium haenplyticum).

Lochie became sick on October 22nd 2023. What people thought was a common hay fever, quickly turned into something far more serious. In addition to hay fever symptoms he felt a sharp pain down the right side of his face behind his eye. He became very light sensitive and his eye began to swell. What he and his family didn't know was that an infection was rapidly shutting down his body.

Everything happened quickly; the infection was described as moving faster than the doctors could catch it. He was placed on life support and flown to Westmead hospital for urgent treatment. He has undergone several major surgeries, including delicate brain surgery, and treatments will be ongoing.

We are pleased to report that Lochie has been slowly recovering from his illness which many predicted would not end well. Thanks to dedicated medical staff and his own fighting spirit, Lochie is on the mend but he has a VERY long way to go. Because his illness has been hard to properly diagnose the doctors can't predict how long it will take for Lochie to recover or what the longer term effects will be on his brain and body.

Lochie is still in hospital and we anticipate he will be there for many months to come. He is able to move around, assisted, in a wheelchair, but still has no feeling in his left arm. He has minimal feeling in his left leg. He has also been suffering mini strokes and seizures.

We appreciate that times are tough for a lot of families right now, so any donations, no matter how small would be greatly appreciated. Money raised will go directly towards Lochie's ongoing medical expenses and equipment, rehab, home and car modifications.

Please help us get Lochie back on his feet and enjoying life again!!

Kathryn Ridley