Zac's Hospital Bill Fund
Donation protected
Ex Cheltenham Phoenix Rugby player Zac France has been seriously unwell in hospital in China with the bills mounting up and he needs our help. You may remember Zac as the lad who snapped his spine playing rugby 5 years ago. It was well covered in local papers.
He suddenly became extremely unwell a couple of weeks ago with very acute body wide muscle spasms and severe pain. Taken to hospital by ambulance, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. (Muscles become torn and damaged releasing creatine and myoglobin into your bloodstream causing your kidneys to fail.) Zac's muscles have literally poisoned him.
Zacs kidneys caused him severe pain which made it almost impossible to lie down. He was having twice daily hemofiltration, IV saline, antibiotics and something to keep his kidneys functioning.
In addition Zac has been diagnosed with myositis (inflammation and weakness of the muscles), and now chronic fatigue and diabetes.
Although now home, it is highly likely that he will need to be re-admitted for further kidney treatments on top of the ongoing hemofiltration.
The hospital experience was tough and the whole episode has taken it's toll on Zacs mental health. There was no privacy, no showers, soap, food or water. Absolutely everything is charged to the patient, every single individual act of nursing care comes at a cost.
Zac has returned to the home he shares with his fiancée Emily and their 5 rescue dogs and continues his care as a very regular outpatient. They estimate at least a 3 to 4 month recovery period.
Zac is extremely fatigued and has lost his muscle strength and if he is upright for too long he gets dizzy. This is also a huge mental challenge for Zac who has been paralysed twice previously and knows the mental strength required to get through his recovery.
The next few months will bring many regular tests on his kidneys, blood and muscles and also scans and IV treatments. These all come at a cost.
The hospital bill is now at £5000 and on the rise, and it is looking as if Zac's insurance may not pay out. If they do it will only cover 60% of the costs.
Zac's fiance Emily has been a total star, but the financial stress is an extra layer of worry they could both do without.
As many of you know, Zac has already battled a broken spine through his time playing high level rugby. Two years later he was attacked during a night out in Cheltenham and awoke to find himself paralysed for a second time.
Zac has also battled mental health problems with a suicide attempt after he broke his spine, and he is a mental health advocate. He even set up a rugby team for men suffering from mental health problems. It is my belief that relieving him of this financial stress will enable him to dig deep and find the strength to face this latest challenge head on.
Zac and I have never met in person, however his grandma and I both are both lupus patients and that is how the connection came about via Twitter. Zac did a huge act of kindness for his grandma and that is why I offered to arrange this fundraiser for him. Call it karma.
He suddenly became extremely unwell a couple of weeks ago with very acute body wide muscle spasms and severe pain. Taken to hospital by ambulance, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. (Muscles become torn and damaged releasing creatine and myoglobin into your bloodstream causing your kidneys to fail.) Zac's muscles have literally poisoned him.
Zacs kidneys caused him severe pain which made it almost impossible to lie down. He was having twice daily hemofiltration, IV saline, antibiotics and something to keep his kidneys functioning.
In addition Zac has been diagnosed with myositis (inflammation and weakness of the muscles), and now chronic fatigue and diabetes.
Although now home, it is highly likely that he will need to be re-admitted for further kidney treatments on top of the ongoing hemofiltration.
The hospital experience was tough and the whole episode has taken it's toll on Zacs mental health. There was no privacy, no showers, soap, food or water. Absolutely everything is charged to the patient, every single individual act of nursing care comes at a cost.
Zac has returned to the home he shares with his fiancée Emily and their 5 rescue dogs and continues his care as a very regular outpatient. They estimate at least a 3 to 4 month recovery period.
Zac is extremely fatigued and has lost his muscle strength and if he is upright for too long he gets dizzy. This is also a huge mental challenge for Zac who has been paralysed twice previously and knows the mental strength required to get through his recovery.
The next few months will bring many regular tests on his kidneys, blood and muscles and also scans and IV treatments. These all come at a cost.
The hospital bill is now at £5000 and on the rise, and it is looking as if Zac's insurance may not pay out. If they do it will only cover 60% of the costs.
Zac's fiance Emily has been a total star, but the financial stress is an extra layer of worry they could both do without.
As many of you know, Zac has already battled a broken spine through his time playing high level rugby. Two years later he was attacked during a night out in Cheltenham and awoke to find himself paralysed for a second time.
Zac has also battled mental health problems with a suicide attempt after he broke his spine, and he is a mental health advocate. He even set up a rugby team for men suffering from mental health problems. It is my belief that relieving him of this financial stress will enable him to dig deep and find the strength to face this latest challenge head on.
Zac and I have never met in person, however his grandma and I both are both lupus patients and that is how the connection came about via Twitter. Zac did a huge act of kindness for his grandma and that is why I offered to arrange this fundraiser for him. Call it karma.
Organizer
Sarah Heney
Organizer
