RICHARDS wheelie long road to RECOVERY
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Our Dad, RICHARD DEE sustained a life changing Spinal Cord Injury on 30th May 2019 whilst enjoying a week away racing/sailing his beloved Merlin Rocket dinghy during Coppet week in Saundersfoot.
The out-pouring of love, care and support both Dad and us; as a whole family have received has been truly humbling over the past 10 months. We're not a family that asks for help easily and it has been a hard decision to set this up but one we feel is our only hope of Richard having the chance to reach his potential.
We were told by his consultant that it can take up to two years to really know his recovery potential, which is why continued rehab is so important, especially as he is playing catch up for the 6 months he was on bed rest due to complications. Now is the optimum time for Richard to regain as much independence as possible to help continue to rebuild him to be the Man, Husband, Dad, Grandad, Brother and Friend he wants to be!
Unfortunately due to the out-break of the Coronavirus his time at the Midland Spinal Injury Unit in Oswestry had to be cut short as they were sending patients home/elsewhere due to needing extra bed space during the pandemic. Richard was moved from Oswestry on Saturday 4th April 2020 and after an awful lot of negotiation and some incredible support, managed to secure a place at Steps Rehabilitation in Sheffield.
The Midland Spinal Injury Unit at the RJAH Hospital in Oswestry was an amazing place who literally SAVED HIS LIFE and had become his safe haven and family for the last 8 months.
We don't know how long he will be at Steps for, so we're now starting to plan for the next stage in his recovery. Hence the massive plea to you all to help us fund specialist rehab - physio, mental health support and any specialist equipment he may need once home.
W H E R E H E N E E D S Y O U R H E L P
£50,000 seems like an enormous amount of money, however it would cover 12 months private physiotherapy and psychological support when he does come home, based on an intensive 6 weeks reducing down to a couple sessions a week. Obviously he and we would like him to remain in the safe environment of Steps as long as he can, especially whilst this pandemic is ongoing, as all private rehab available from home would be on hold further impacting his recovery.
R i c h a r d ' s B A C K S T O R Y
One tiny fall after having a go on a friends micro-scooter (having not been on one for a good 25 years or more) the night before he was due home on 30th May, resulted in complex life changing neurological injuries. He sustained acute fractures of C5/6 vertebra in his neck and a contusion to the spinal cord. Consequently leaving him C4 tetraplegic, a permanent wheelchair/power-chair user, unable to move from his chest down, with very limited hand function and dependant on life long, full time care. He is also at risk of Autonomic Dysreflexia, a potentially life threatening condition which requires specialist care and knowledge.
Richard spent the initial 3 months, the first 13 days in Intensive Care at a general hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. During his stay there were numerous unfortunate complications and it's only through the sheer hard work and relentless dedication of our Mom - Dawn, that got Richard transferred to Oswestry before we lost him. After a long battle and with the help of Spinal Injuries Association on the 5th August he was flown via Air Ambulance to the RJAH hospital in Oswestry. From the minute he entered the Midland Spinal Injuries Unit he felt safe. Richard was very poorly when he arrived. I (Nicky) will never forget the day when he'd moved rooms and I walked straight past him, not recognising the thin, frail man in the bed, baring no resemblance to Dad.
Richard underwent numerous operations to combat infections and stage 4 pressure damage. He remained on bed rest for a total of 6 months from the date of his accident - throughout this time reaching some incredibly dark places!! The psychological support he received at Oswestry has been invaluable.
Remarkably before any of us could have hoped, on 14th October 2019 he was sat up for the first time and hoisted into a wheelchair for half an hour. This was a highly emotional time for us all and the start of the next chapter in Richards recovery. There has been lots stops and starts due to various health issues. From here on his determination, strength and bravery with the support, encouragement and positive 'tough love' from the Drs, physios, nurses, health care assistants and physiologist have seen him progress enormously in the last couple of months.
Dad has achieved things he and the experts didn't think he would be able to at Oswestry. We need him to maintain and improve on where he is up to now, to allow him to reach a peak of mental and physical abilities. Anyone who knows Richard, knows he enjoys the challenge of rehab/physio and his naturally active, competitive nature is his biggest asset when it comes to this and he'll push himself beyond what he thinks is possible.
We've seen the best and worst of the health care system and want to ensure Dad gets to live the full, active life he deserves and is able to be an active member of society like he was before his injury. He is so much more than A BODY IN A BED!
We appreciate and understand that these are tough times for everyone during this unusual time we currently find ourselves in - and we know that some of his fantastic friends would have had some great fundraising ideas but with the world temporarily shutting down due to the Coronavirus anything like that will be on hold at the moment.
We can not THANK YOU enough for your willingness to contribute towards giving our Dad, Richard, the best chance of achieving his goals and for him to be a Husband, Dad, Grandad and much loved friend again.
With SO MUCH LOVE and thanks
Nicky, Hannah, Chris and Dawn
xxx
The out-pouring of love, care and support both Dad and us; as a whole family have received has been truly humbling over the past 10 months. We're not a family that asks for help easily and it has been a hard decision to set this up but one we feel is our only hope of Richard having the chance to reach his potential.
We were told by his consultant that it can take up to two years to really know his recovery potential, which is why continued rehab is so important, especially as he is playing catch up for the 6 months he was on bed rest due to complications. Now is the optimum time for Richard to regain as much independence as possible to help continue to rebuild him to be the Man, Husband, Dad, Grandad, Brother and Friend he wants to be!
Unfortunately due to the out-break of the Coronavirus his time at the Midland Spinal Injury Unit in Oswestry had to be cut short as they were sending patients home/elsewhere due to needing extra bed space during the pandemic. Richard was moved from Oswestry on Saturday 4th April 2020 and after an awful lot of negotiation and some incredible support, managed to secure a place at Steps Rehabilitation in Sheffield.
The Midland Spinal Injury Unit at the RJAH Hospital in Oswestry was an amazing place who literally SAVED HIS LIFE and had become his safe haven and family for the last 8 months.
We don't know how long he will be at Steps for, so we're now starting to plan for the next stage in his recovery. Hence the massive plea to you all to help us fund specialist rehab - physio, mental health support and any specialist equipment he may need once home.
W H E R E H E N E E D S Y O U R H E L P
£50,000 seems like an enormous amount of money, however it would cover 12 months private physiotherapy and psychological support when he does come home, based on an intensive 6 weeks reducing down to a couple sessions a week. Obviously he and we would like him to remain in the safe environment of Steps as long as he can, especially whilst this pandemic is ongoing, as all private rehab available from home would be on hold further impacting his recovery.
R i c h a r d ' s B A C K S T O R Y
One tiny fall after having a go on a friends micro-scooter (having not been on one for a good 25 years or more) the night before he was due home on 30th May, resulted in complex life changing neurological injuries. He sustained acute fractures of C5/6 vertebra in his neck and a contusion to the spinal cord. Consequently leaving him C4 tetraplegic, a permanent wheelchair/power-chair user, unable to move from his chest down, with very limited hand function and dependant on life long, full time care. He is also at risk of Autonomic Dysreflexia, a potentially life threatening condition which requires specialist care and knowledge.
Richard spent the initial 3 months, the first 13 days in Intensive Care at a general hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. During his stay there were numerous unfortunate complications and it's only through the sheer hard work and relentless dedication of our Mom - Dawn, that got Richard transferred to Oswestry before we lost him. After a long battle and with the help of Spinal Injuries Association on the 5th August he was flown via Air Ambulance to the RJAH hospital in Oswestry. From the minute he entered the Midland Spinal Injuries Unit he felt safe. Richard was very poorly when he arrived. I (Nicky) will never forget the day when he'd moved rooms and I walked straight past him, not recognising the thin, frail man in the bed, baring no resemblance to Dad.
Richard underwent numerous operations to combat infections and stage 4 pressure damage. He remained on bed rest for a total of 6 months from the date of his accident - throughout this time reaching some incredibly dark places!! The psychological support he received at Oswestry has been invaluable.
Remarkably before any of us could have hoped, on 14th October 2019 he was sat up for the first time and hoisted into a wheelchair for half an hour. This was a highly emotional time for us all and the start of the next chapter in Richards recovery. There has been lots stops and starts due to various health issues. From here on his determination, strength and bravery with the support, encouragement and positive 'tough love' from the Drs, physios, nurses, health care assistants and physiologist have seen him progress enormously in the last couple of months.
Dad has achieved things he and the experts didn't think he would be able to at Oswestry. We need him to maintain and improve on where he is up to now, to allow him to reach a peak of mental and physical abilities. Anyone who knows Richard, knows he enjoys the challenge of rehab/physio and his naturally active, competitive nature is his biggest asset when it comes to this and he'll push himself beyond what he thinks is possible.
We've seen the best and worst of the health care system and want to ensure Dad gets to live the full, active life he deserves and is able to be an active member of society like he was before his injury. He is so much more than A BODY IN A BED!
We appreciate and understand that these are tough times for everyone during this unusual time we currently find ourselves in - and we know that some of his fantastic friends would have had some great fundraising ideas but with the world temporarily shutting down due to the Coronavirus anything like that will be on hold at the moment.
We can not THANK YOU enough for your willingness to contribute towards giving our Dad, Richard, the best chance of achieving his goals and for him to be a Husband, Dad, Grandad and much loved friend again.
With SO MUCH LOVE and thanks
Nicky, Hannah, Chris and Dawn
xxx
Organizer and beneficiary
Nicky Dee
Organizer
Richard Dee
Beneficiary