The Michael Wilson Fund

Hi everyone,

It is hard to know where to start, except to start at the beginning. In mid-March 2025, our beloved Mike became seriously ill. What started as back pain one weekend quickly escalated - within a few days, Mike suddenly took a turn for the worse and could not breathe. Luckily he was already in an ambulance when this happened, and quickly arrived at his local hospital where he was placed in an induced coma and intubated. The doctors worked hard to find the cause of his sudden downturn, fearing the worst. They soon discovered an infected heart valve, and sepsis which was developing into multiple organ failure. In the space of one day, everything in our lives changed forever.

Luckily, Mike was able to be transferred to St. Thomas' hospital in London, one of the best hospitals in the world - particularly for his condition. On arrival, we were warned that he may not make it through the next 12 hours. We were told that his heart valve had been destroyed by the infection, and he needed open heart surgery to survive - but that his condition was too unstable to survive the surgery. Somehow, the incredible medical team spent the next 48 hours stabilising him sufficiently to go to surgery, and gave him at best a 50/50 prospect of surviving the surgery. Another medical marvel: he survived the surgery and the days that followed. We were elated!

However, when Mike woke up a few days post surgery we found that he could not move his arms and legs. As the days passed, this did not improve and he was ultimately sent for MRI - this uncovered some utterly devastating news. Mike's infection had spread around his body, including to his spine. Specifically, an abscess in his cervical spine (his neck) had compressed his spinal column and caused irreparable damage. While it will take some time to discover the true extent of the damage, the current outlook is that Mike is paralysed from the neck down. It goes without saying that this has been a major blow for us all, most of all Mike.

This is not something we ever thought would happen to our family. And certainly not to Mike, who is so very busy and full of life. We have spent many dark days questioning why this has happened, and why it had to happen to someone so wonderful and so very loved. The truth is, there is no rhyme or reason to this - as Mike says, "it is what it is".

In true Mike fashion, he has managed to bring humour, love and light to the situation despite the most dire of circumtsances. The doctors and nursing staff love him - he was even managing to convey his personality while intubated by using only his eyebrows and nods/shakes of the head. Truly a charismatic wonder! He remains very much himself, and we are steadfast in providing him with love and support. We are so very grateful that he is still here with us, showing us once again why he is so special.

So, we are left with an important question: what next? Mike remains in ICU at St. Thomas' battling the remaining sepsis - this is expected to take at least a few more weeks, but so far he is showing positive signs of recovery. It is an uphill battle but we have faith that Mike will continue to fight and to beat the odds, as he has been doing since day one of this terrible ordeal. Once he is well enough to be discharged from ICU, we are hoping he can go to a specialist spinal rehabilitation hospital to figure out the true extent of his injury and possible recovery - it can take 12 months or longer to have a clear understanding of the injury and his body's new limitations.

Our family plans to offer Mike every opportunity to live a meaningful and happy life going forward. Frankly, he is a wonderful human and he deserves every chance of recovery and rehabilitation. In the short term, there are a number of accommodation and transport considerations as his treatment is taking place far from home - yet it's important for him to have family nearby for support. Long term, we would like him to have access to every possible adaptive technology, rehabilitation and medical intervention. We will also need to find a new home, and to adapt this to his needs. He will also need additional care at home, along with new transportation. Life will come with new logistical and financial considerations. All of this comes with substantial additional costs, which is where we are asking for your help - we are fundraising for Mike, to ensure his needs are met while we find the new 'normal'. We would be eternally grateful for any assistance from our wider community, and we hope you will be able to see the direct impact of your contributions the next time you see Mike. While he may be in updated packaging, he will still be the same old Mike you know and love.

We thank you for your time in reading this, and your messages of concern (we are trying to respond to everyone individually when we can).

Love to everyone,

Susan & "the kids" (Leigh, Danielle, Nicki, David and Fay)